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7000 accounts banned.
Satimasu
Member UncommonPosts: 900
We would like to report the termination today of multiple accounts held by players involved in the usage of third-party tools or cheats, or engaged in RMT (Real Money Trading) activities.
Based on the results of our investigation, around 5750 PlayOnline accounts were terminated while around 1250 accounts were temporarily suspended.
Additionally, we have increased the number of mass bannings against certain PlayOnline violations in order to prevent illegal acts.
Details of the violations are as follows:
- Usage of tools that allow enhanced character movement.
May 31, Approx. 280 cases
June 7, Approx. 200 cases
June 14, Approx. 170 cases
June 21, Approx. 100 cases
- Usage of tools that circumvent game mechanics with respect to the timing of ability use, etc. in certain areas or at points where Notorious Monsters appear.
May 24, Approx. 10 cases
May 31, Approx. 10 cases
June 8, Approx. 10 cases
June 15, Approx. 10 cases
June 26, Approx. 110 cases
- Using cheats to automatically repeat a particular action.
June 8, Approx. 600 cases
June 14, Approx. 300 cases
June 21, Approx. 300 cases
- Accounts from people that were previously confirmed to have RMT connections, or that had violated the user agreements but re-subscribed to PlayOnline.
May 25, Approx. 150 cases
- Gil and item exchange for real world money cases:
June 26, Approx. 1000 cases
- Instances of ares or monster holding
May 24, Approx. 700 cases
June 6, Approx. 1800 cases
June 15, Approx. 1100 cases
June 21, Approx. 150 cases
The termination of these accounts has led to the removal of approximately 6.4 billion gil from circulation.
We would like to remind players that as well as adversely affecting game balance, the use of third-party tools or cheats can also have consequences that are not immediately obvious, such as introducing damaging viruses, and comprising the security of private account details. Usage of third-party tools will not be tolerated within FINAL FANTASY XI, and we will continue to severely penalize any players found to be in violation of the PlayOnline Member Agreement.
As we continue to ensure a fun and balanced environment for FINAL FANTASY XI, we hope that our players enjoy the game as it was intended and take care to avoid involvement in activities that violate the PlayOnline Member Agreement.
Thank you for your continued cooperation and understanding.
To be the best, you must help each other become the best.
FFXI Character: Satimasu
FFXI Server: Valefor
FFXIV Character: Tamorae Fonteil
Comments
Woot! Awesome
. Love those updates.
WSIMike
aka: "Fanboi"
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Thats very good buisness by Square Enix. NC Soft please pay attention because Lineage 2 is in bad need of this kind of action.
6.4 billion gil from around 2000 subscribers, jesus thats a lot...I applaud Square Enix for doing a well thought out plan to eliminate cheaters hackers and gold farmers...But maybe for those who wasnt involved in it but was banned, I give ya the best of luck to get your account back...
Indeed... but shhh... Some of the the Lineage II folk are very touchy about that subject. They don't like to admit that it is a problem in their game.
I agree... I think SE and, from what I hear, Blizzard are both at the fore-front of dealing with the RMT issue. SE is taking very serious action in-game on multiple fronts. And Blizzard is, from what I hear, taking one of the more prominent RMT advertisers to court over their activities. So.. whatever the outcome of that case.. I applaud Blizzard for stepping up.
NCSoft, I think, is too far gone with L2. The botters are so entrenched in that game that the players have become dependent on them for mats and what not. Working the manor system was a nightmare; all those script-bots getting the turn-in the moment the manors reset. I remember after one round of bannings NCSoft did, the players had to farm their own mats and the prices went nuts. People didn't know what the hell to do.
Wasn't 'til the botters got themselves back in game and up to speed that things settled down again.
Perhaps with Lineage 3, they can do a better job from the start of controlling RMT and having game systems that aren't so friendly to RMT/Botter monopolization.
That is if they ever get development of L3 under-way again.. Last I heard the code was stolen and it was brought to a halt. That kinda sucks :-/. I am eager to see what they come up with on the Unreal 3 engine; after seeing what they can do with the Unreal 2 tech.
But yeah... these monthly banning reports by SE are awesome. And to see prices on things that used to be in the 10s of millions back down into the hundreds of thousands again is just awesome.
WSIMike
aka "fanboi"
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
NCSoft has never made a stance on RMT's in Guild Wars either and me and my girlfriend always joked that maybe they were behind a lot of the RMT activity to make up for no monthly charges. I never once heard of bans or any activities that stopped RMT's.
EVE - Sharvala
FFXI - Shazamalicious
Guild Wars - Xavier Lucifer & Charlize the Necro
"Ranged...stuck...tree...15 random words... suck... noob fanboy... I MAKE GUIDE!"
anyone else notice that now everyone on almost EVERY server is dirt poor now? wanna know why? cuz RMT makes MMORPGs go around the fact that SE is too stupid to realize that the what 900+ billion they've erased from the servers blows out the whole economy, think of it this way yes true all items will drop in price but thats not always a good thing for instance now a scorpian harness is like 300-400k on Hades where as now noob items such as lets say a priest's robe is still like what 60k? the robe drops 100k the harness drops 5-6m it actually makes it harder for noobs to play cuz a priest robe is only level 18 piece of gear instead of a level 57 piece of gear, tell me how a level 18 is gonna get 60k for 1 piece of armor and il list hundreds of ways for a level 57 to make 400k. flame away!
If the priest robe were the only piece of gear available within that level range for those players to use, then I might agree with you. But it isn't, so I don't.
Your argument seems to assume that you *need* that particular robe. You don't *need* the Priest Robe at level 19. Not at all. You might really *want* it, but you don't *need* it to progress in the game. If you want it bad enough you'll do what you need to get it. However, there are alternatives.
The same goes for much of the gear in the game at all level ranges.
I've made excellent progress in the game and I've never had any of the more expensive gear - could never afford it. The most expensive single piece of gear I've ever obtained was a Jujitsu Gi; it was 450k when I bought it a couple years ago. Now, since the anti-RMT efforts, it's going for about 150k on Pandemonium. A couple days of farming could earn enough to buy that... How is that a bad thing?
Second, since the prices have come down, it's become easier for newbie players to make money and earn their way - not harder.
Current example: A good friend of mine just started a couple weeks ago. He's leveled BLM to 20, WHM to 31 and is now working on Summoner. Except for 15k I gave him to help him get started, he's earned over 100k himself, just by farming and selling stuff that drops as he's xp'ing.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
although thats a good point when i said noob i meant it more towards the level 1-20 range you know the people who invite level 75s into a dunes party xDthing is you gave him 15k to get started theres tons of ways to turn 15k into 100k just by buying things low and selling them high now i cant say i know all the prices on other servers i only know a few, but im a returned player of 2 or 3 years to come back to all my friends quit and i had to redo EVERYTHING now as a monk at level 10 i have litterly gotten kicked out of a party cuz i didnt have Legionaires knuckles which are like 15k so i figured id make money the way all noobies do crystal farming! whoot well i was wrongt he most expensive stack of crystals was dark crystals for like 1.5k followed by fire crystals for 1k -.-; thats 15 stacks of fire crystals or 10 stacks of dark crystals for a weapon thats good for like 5- 10 levels >> while most jobs arnt expected to have the best of the best gear monk is. which totally blew me out of the game
Sounds like you had a bad luck streak. What can ya do? You'll find elitist jerks everywhere; FFXI included. I've been kicked from a party for not having Ochiudos Kotes. The guy would have rather fought with 5 people in the party than to have a 6th that didn't have "the proper gear". A little while later, in that same party, everyone got sick of him and stopped attacking a mob after the jerk had all the aggro, ignored him when he yelled for people to start fighting/healing... then they disbanded when he was nearly dead and zoned. He died. And de-leveled if I remember right. Then they put him on ignore. He'd been yelling at and barking orders at everyone through every fight - and some of them had been playing far longer than he. They ended up reinviting me to their group later, and we found another tank and continued the party. So... how's that for instant karma. True story.
Anyway...
The friend I mentioned didn't reinvest the money I gave him to buy low/sell high, etc. He spent it on low level gear and scrolls he needed. He was also part of that 1-20 "noob" range you spoke of. The remaining portion of the 100k was completely on his own from selling drops he'd get while xp'ing - silk threads, crystals, wild onions, etc. etc. He started fishing and turned in a bunch of stacks of moat carp. He asked me a couple questions about how much a certain item would go for, but most of this stuff he looked up himself. He checked the prices of things that would drop from mobs to see how much they sold for on the AH and then would either vendor them or list them on the AH accordingly. I think the key here is.. he let practically nothing go to waste. Everything was converted into money somehow. He didn't do anything special or magical to make that money... he simply used his head. And at the low levels, especially now that the economy has come way back down again, the money he made was more than enough to keep him equipped and well supplied.
It sounds like you were trying to focus on one specific way to make money and, yes crystals are a reliable source of income in that they tend to sell quickly, but you're not going to be drowning in money by relying on that alone.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
ohwell i guess i was just kinda pissed cuz i farmed spook to make all my money before and i made like 10m a day off of it and now i can barely make 90k a day >.>
Understandable.. and that is a shock when you're used to seeing that kind of cash. The thing is, though, 90k goes alot farther now than it did before. It all balances out.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
why i cant believe they caught so many i thought maybe 2000 at most but 7000 wow that amazing i applaud u guys
http://crazi-ville.myminicity.com/
Understandable.. and that is a shock when you're used to seeing that kind of cash. The thing is, though, 90k goes alot farther now than it did before. It all balances out.
thats not totally true 90k does go father but it isnt evened out it doesnt matter how much things dropped if it isnt in the same percentage and that was kinda my point while the really expensive high level items and the "Rare" items or just the 1s that are harder to get are only like 1/10 of what they were before the more common and lower level items are like 1/2 or 1/3 of what they were meaning NM hunters like me got screwed with the price drop as well as most of the farmers where as the crafters now its easier to make money than ever
7k accounts is what?
5% of the player base? More?
My arm is scratching my bottom, let's cut it.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
Never played that game but i applaud their effort.
Nicely done. Any effort is worthwhile and publically annoucing it is good too. Let the hackers and gold sellers know they're not welcome on any level.
hmm well theres i think like 30 something servers with maybe 5k-20k ppl on each depending s o more like maybe 2-3% but you were close enough xD its basicly like they closed a server
:O actaully im pretty sure in the user agreement it says that gold selling is alowed as long as the sellers account and the gold made is done in a legal way (no bots, scamming, hacks ect.)
Someone wrote:
NCSoft has never made a stance on RMT's in Guild Wars either and me and my girlfriend always joked that maybe they were behind a lot of the RMT activity to make up for no monthly charges. I never once heard of bans or any activities that stopped RMT's.
you know that alot of games do that? aka Rakion, Tantra and some others i cant think of right now
I have a full time job thats usually 40+ hours a week and I goto school full time as well. So when I DO get a chance to play, I wanna play and not bullshit around. So, for me, sometimes I need to get ahead of the game and buy shit on the internet, there is nothing wrong with that. Some of us are over 18 and have a fulltime job and dont get to have are cake and eat to. I want to enjoy my time in my virtual world. I want to meet with friends and be able to play on there level. If I wasn't able to buy online sometimes, I would never keep up I would always be the one who is left behind, hence why play at all? So don't get your panties in a knot about RMT they do help some of us out so we can enjoy the same thing that you can do in those 40+ hours you dont work, and the extra 40 for school hours!
I am so good, I backstabbed your face!
Not even that. More like 1.5%.hmm well theres i think like 30 something servers with maybe 5k-20k ppl on each depending s o more like maybe 2-3% but you were close enough xD its basicly like they closed a server
Considering that this might keep several thousand frustrated players from quitting, or re-attract some who have already quit, I think it's a smart move.
To Ravefighter: No matter what your reasoning or excuses, arguing that RMT is somehow good for the game rings quite hollow. The current economy as you've described it sounds very appealing to me. Insane inflation and spawn monopolization are two of the main issues that drove me away years ago.
Understandable.. and that is a shock when you're used to seeing that kind of cash. The thing is, though, 90k goes alot farther now than it did before. It all balances out.
thats not totally true 90k does go father but it isnt evened out it doesnt matter how much things dropped if it isnt in the same percentage and that was kinda my point while the really expensive high level items and the "Rare" items or just the 1s that are harder to get are only like 1/10 of what they were before the more common and lower level items are like 1/2 or 1/3 of what they were meaning NM hunters like me got screwed with the price drop as well as most of the farmers where as the crafters now its easier to make money than ever
It seems to me that you're upset that you can't rake in millions anymore on items like you used to. You simply don't need to make millions anymore to afford to play this game, like you did when the economy was at its worst.
With the economy the way it is now, at level 60, I hover at around 100-200k on average and I've yet to hit a wall where I was unable to continue in the game due to lack of gear or supplies. I hit that wall pretty regularly when the inflation was out of control. Like the example I gave of my friend... he's made practically every single gil he has on his own - just on low level mob drops, and some fishing - that includes potions, foods, etc.
The question is... How much money, exactly, do you feel you need?
Prices *have* come down across the board. It was as much as 20-30k for a stack of mithkabobs at one point - they're down to around 5-6k now. It used to be 40-50k for a stack of prism powders - they're down to around 6k. Everything has come down in price, thus you don't need to be making millions on a single drop anymore to get by in this game. The examples go on and on.
If the goal is to fill your coffers, then that's unfortunate... But I think the ability for a greater amount of people to be able to play and benefit from a more under control economy is higher in SE's priorities than some people's desire for a fat wallet.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Oh look, another self-important person who feels he's the only one with a life and responsibilities who plays MMOs; and that it exempts him from the same rules every other player is held to.
Hey, my panties aren't in a bunch about it. SE's are, though, and they're the ones who can shut your account down for RMT.
I'm 33. I have a full-time job. I don't have all day to sit and play MMOs. Most of my friends are "ahead of me" in many areas of the game. Guess what? I don't buy money online. There are many, many, many others in the same position as me who also don't buy money online. In other words, your logic fails.
A: Because it's against the ToS. No matter what your logic is, you're playing SE's game with their rules.
B: A busy life does not entitle anyone to "keep up" with people who have more time to play. It's common sense that people who have more time to play should be able to get farther. However, if you're looking for a game that makes it easier, World of Warcraft has a wonderful "rested xp" feature that helps that.
C: Games are designed to be challenging. To use your question.. if you're just going to buy your way through, what's the point of playing in the first place?
News Flash: *Many* people who play MMOs have full-time jobs, families, school, etc. etc. That doesn't entitle a single one of them to ignore the ToS for the game. SE isn't banning these accounts for the hell of it, guy. Might want to get a clue from that.
Oh, and by the by... You do realize that SE is tracking gil buyers as well as sellers now, right? So... when they suspend or ban your account for engaging in RMT and breaking their ToS... good luck feeding them your sob-story. I'm sure it'll get you real far. </sarcasm>
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Oh look, another self-important person who feels he's the only one with a life and responsibilities who plays MMOs; and that it exempts him from the same rules every other player is held to.
Hey, my panties aren't in a bunch about it. SE's are, though, and they're the ones who can shut your account down for RMT.
I'm 33. I have a full-time job. I don't have all day to sit and play MMOs. Most of my friends are "ahead of me" in many areas of the game. Guess what? I don't buy money online. There are many, many, many others in the same position as me who also don't buy money online. In other words, your logic fails.
A: Because it's against the ToS. No matter what your logic is, you're playing SE's game with their rules.
B: A busy life does not entitle anyone to "keep up" with people who have more time to play. It's common sense that people who have more time to play should be able to get farther. However, if you're looking for a game that makes it easier, World of Warcraft has a wonderful "rested xp" feature that helps that.
C: Games are designed to be challenging. To use your question.. if you're just going to buy your way through, what's the point of playing in the first place?
News Flash: *Many* people who play MMOs have full-time jobs, families, school, etc. etc. That doesn't entitle a single one of them to ignore the ToS for the game. SE isn't banning these accounts for the hell of it, guy. Might want to get a clue from that.
Oh, and by the by... You do realize that SE is tracking gil buyers as well as sellers now, right? So... when they suspend or ban your account for engaging in RMT and breaking their ToS... good luck feeding them your sob-story. I'm sure it'll get you real far. </sarcasm>
Covered me fully
Basically no matter what excuse you have RMT it's is a breach by and in itself. Breaking the TOS gives the company right to do with your account whatever they damn well please.
The simple fact is people that use RMT are just immature persons that can't handle the fact that someone else is better than them. There are dozen ways to play with your friends at that game and do stuff together and have fun.
And just for last there is something to be said about people that give real money for fake ones and and it rhymes with "suckers". I mean geez save your bucks and go on vacations to an island and have a tan or something and relax from the stress since you spend so much time on job and school
A friend is not him who provides support during your failures.A friend is the one that cheers you during your successes.
Oh look, another self-important person who feels he's the only one with a life and responsibilities who plays MMOs; and that it exempts him from the same rules every other player is held to.
Hey, my panties aren't in a bunch about it. SE's are, though, and they're the ones who can shut your account down for RMT.
I'm 33. I have a full-time job. I don't have all day to sit and play MMOs. Most of my friends are "ahead of me" in many areas of the game. Guess what? I don't buy money online. There are many, many, many others in the same position as me who also don't buy money online. In other words, your logic fails.
A: Because it's against the ToS. No matter what your logic is, you're playing SE's game with their rules.
B: A busy life does not entitle anyone to "keep up" with people who have more time to play. It's common sense that people who have more time to play should be able to get farther. However, if you're looking for a game that makes it easier, World of Warcraft has a wonderful "rested xp" feature that helps that.
C: Games are designed to be challenging. To use your question.. if you're just going to buy your way through, what's the point of playing in the first place?
News Flash: *Many* people who play MMOs have full-time jobs, families, school, etc. etc. That doesn't entitle a single one of them to ignore the ToS for the game. SE isn't banning these accounts for the hell of it, guy. Might want to get a clue from that.
Oh, and by the by... You do realize that SE is tracking gil buyers as well as sellers now, right? So... when they suspend or ban your account for engaging in RMT and breaking their ToS... good luck feeding them your sob-story. I'm sure it'll get you real far. </sarcasm>
Covered me fully
Basically no matter what excuse you have RMT it's is a breach by and in itself. Breaking the TOS gives the company right to do with your account whatever they damn well please.
The simple fact is people that use RMT are just immature persons that can't handle the fact that someone else is better than them. There are dozen ways to play with your friends at that game and do stuff together and have fun.
And just for last there is something to be said about people that give real money for fake ones and and it rhymes with "suckers". I mean geez save your bucks and go on vacations to an island and have a tan or something and relax from the stress since you spend so much time on job and school
I don't know if maturity necessarily has anything to do with it. There is definitely a sense of entitlement from many of them... the whole "I have a busy life so I should be allowed to skip ahead...". It's such a ridiculous mentality, really, that it amazes me some people really think that way; and so many do. How does one person's lifestyle earn them any more privilege than anyone else in a game where the rules are applied to every character and player equally? Everyone starts at level 1. Everyone pays the same monthly subscription. Everyone has to go through the same trials and tasks to get where they want to be. It's a fair and even playing field for all players in the context of the game. How much free time someone does or doesn't have compared to someone else has nothing to do with that. If you can't get as far ahead as you want in the time period you want because your other responsibilities don't allow it... then maybe it's just an indication that the game isn't for you - or that you need to adjust your expectations a bit.
In a similar vein, there are those who feel that it's not fair that they're "punished" for not starting earlier in the game, and so now people who started before them are way ahead and they'll never "catch up". It's not Square-Enix's problem that someone can't keep up with friends of theirs who have more time to play. A former co-worker has more free time than another co-worker to play golf, and so he plays better. Is it unfair to the person with less time? Not at all.
I agree with you, though, Sniper, in that regard - some people do have this ego thing, I guess, that won't let them accept that - gasp - someone might be farther along, or simply better than them. And while it's fine for a sense of competition... when it leads to people finding any way they can to skip ahead, it's definitely something else altogether.
There's also a crowd that really doesn't want a challenge. They want that instant gratification. The so-called "I Win" button. That's a whole other crowd... I think they tend to gravitate toward using bots and hacks to make their way... or the whole crowd who will pay for power-leveling, so all they ahve to do is log on a week or whatever later, and bam... they have a top level character... and have no clue how to play it. I *love* seeing those folks in-game, because they're so easy to spot.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops