Blizzard Wields The Banhammer Again 142
Eurogamer reports that Blizzard is once again clearing house, and this time they mean business. From the article: "Blizzard has banned more than 5400 World of Warcraft players from the game for good as part of plans to clamp down on gold farming and cheating in general. A further 10,700 accounts have been suspended for 'participating in activities that violate the game's Terms of Use, including using third-party programs to farm gold and items.'"
Wow (Score:1)
Re:Wow (Score:2)
Epic weapons! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Epic weapons! (Score:5, Funny)
When all you have is a "Ban" Hammer, all problems look like a Gold Farmer.
Banhammer (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Banhammer (Score:5, Funny)
Btw what is the drop rate because I have been farming this thing for 3 days and it still hasn't dropped!
Re:Banhammer (Score:2)
*blink*
What just happened? I think I had a flashback... *shudder*
Re:Banhammer (Score:1)
Encouragement for the survivers (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Encouragement for the survivers (Score:2)
Re:Encouragement for the survivers (Score:1)
Re:Encouragement for the survivers (Score:2)
-Rick
Re:Encouragement for the survivers (Score:1)
its "sucks" "out of fashion" or declared
crap.Supply is virtual too.
Playing these games is waste of time and (and unless you employ a computer farm dedicated to exploiting game economy) money.
fads & trinkets (Score:2)
Re:fads & trinkets (Score:1)
Re:fads & trinkets (Score:2)
Re:fads & trinkets (Score:1)
Fads and trinkets are
consumers preference,they don't shape the economy(Unlike MMORPGs).Unless masses diversify/reform the demand,supply is very stable.
In Games slight changes to values of some trinkets or game mechanics would
radically alter the economy.
Case of Diablo II(i don't play it anymore): Before the New Runewords,runes
would be priced very cheap,unless you had top runes and economy was based on uniques. Now the entire economy is based on ru
Re:fads & trinkets (Score:2)
Information is free (Score:1)
These commodities don't lose value because they replicated.They remain the same(except for sheeple that chooses to buy them).
What is different from original file? What is difference between Official Digital Copy of Ringtone/File/Song/Information you buy and a copy you make?
Information - worth what people are willing to pay (Score:2)
Don't confuse what people subjectively should pay with what they do pay. People pay a buck a song. It must be worth it to them.
Re:Information - worth what people are willing to (Score:1)
Subjective value,just another aspect.
These things have no real value.
The ringtones and DRMed songs you pay for are copies,digital copies.
Company who sells them just prints money out of thin air(not-considering distribution and storage which you already paid).
Re:Information - worth what people are willing to (Score:2)
The only real measure of value is what people are what people are willing to pay for something. Does it matter if
Re:Information - worth what people are willing to (Score:1)
What you buy exactly is the time they spend to farm these game resources(to prevent wasting time yourself).
Digital Copies of Information on other hand are not Virtual Items,Its just data.Companies who charge for copies don't spend any time or resource.They only need the original for distribution.
Re:Information is free (Score:2)
Re:Information is free (Score:2)
Re:Information is free (Score:2)
Re:Information is free (Score:2)
true. But you can see that it has some value to someone. Also, it's justified to say that content nobody would ever buy is probably inferior to content that is actually selling right now.
Of course you need big bucks to upload your video/music/Book torrent and getting hosted costs gazillions of dollars.yeah.I get the idea.
yeah, because nobody actually likes physica
Re:Information is free (Score:2)
Re:Encouragement for the survivers (Score:1)
Of course they do. How could they not? If there's a market, there supply and demand. It's not optional.
They operate on basis of fads and prestige of having some trinkets while others strive to get them.
That would be the "demand" part.
Re:Encouragement for the survivers (Score:1)
Don't a new exploit can make them worthless in a hour?
Much like Duping http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duping [wikipedia.org] demonstartes this there still people who belive game world items are having intrisic value(to ingame avatars?).These are just bits on Blizzard servers.
Information there is not Real (as in Existing)
Much like
Re:Encouragement for the survivers (Score:2)
Re:Encouragement for the survivers (Score:2)
But seriously, supply and demand exists everywhere. It's like a natural law of human interaction.
Re:Creating Value out of thin air. (Score:2)
Re:Encouragement for the survivers (Score:1)
Re:Encouragement for the survivers (Score:5, Insightful)
All that is counter-balanced however by people who camp out the auction houses buying commodities that are "underpriced" and re-selling them at an inflated market value.
I always wondered if blizzard sends in people "undercover" to manipulate the gold supply to keep the economy going. There are certain facets that drain money out of supply...repair costs, mounts, everything bought from vendors, but it seems like that would be really difficult to fine-tune, without some occasional corrections.
Re:Encouragement for the survivers (Score:2)
This time they mean buisness... (Score:1, Insightful)
Blizz can't cut *too* deep into the bottom line.
Re:This time they mean buisness... (Score:2, Insightful)
what difference does the percentage of the total players make, as long as it is cutting down on the problem and not adversely effecting legit players thats fine
Re:This time they mean buisness... (Score:2)
At least they have balls... (Score:2)
Re:At least they have balls... (Score:1)
I myself like seeing this happen, regardless of whether or not its a significant percentage of the actual pro
Re:At least they have balls... (Score:1)
Re:At least they have balls... (Score:1)
Re:At least they have balls... (Score:1)
Re:At least they have balls... (Score:1)
Re:At least they have balls... (Score:2, Insightful)
Riiiight. 5400 out of 5 million is less than 2% of the total "population". Add to this the fact that these accounts were probably causing a lot more strain on servers and support staff than average.
Oh, and "integrity" is not a word I'd use regarding Blizzard, at least not after bnetd and "the warden"....
Re:At least they have balls... (Score:5, Insightful)
So, they are cancelling accounts using an excuse that many people will consider legitimate, causing the cancelled players to buy new accounts. How much is the farmer's profit compared to the cost of the new account?
If I were getting the money from the sale of new serial numbers, I'd keep banning the farmers every chance I had, too. :)
Re:At least they have balls... (Score:1)
~0.2% is "clearing house"? (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe I'm just being cynical, but I think that there are significantly more than 0.2% of WOW accounts involved in "gold farming and cheating in general". It sure sounds significant to throw around numbers like five and ten thousand until you realize that the number of accounts is in the millions.
It sorta reminds me of when the politicos squawk about the financial carnage that a few million dollars will cause to the many billion dollar budget.
Re:~0.2% is "clearing house"? (Score:3, Interesting)
Really? how much evidence do you have? where are the hard numbers? whats that? you have no numbers? you just pulled that statement out of your ass?
Sure there are farmers in wow - but thinking that they are some measureable menace on the system is just fearmongering. people (especially on american servers ive noticed) LOVE to claim that the immigrants/farmers/non english speakers, are
Re:~0.2% is "clearing house"? (Score:1)
Plus, when someone says "I think"...it doesn't mean that they are saying that "THIS IS FACT!"
Re:~0.2% is "clearing house"? (Score:2)
Frankly, with WoW as with any other MMORPG, a certain amount of farming is inevitable. I farm mobs for gold. I farm mobs for experience. I farm them for rare drops, recipes, faction, fun, profit, amusement value,
Re:~0.2% is "clearing house"? (Score:1)
I especially loved that tangent you went off on though, Blizzard being racist(very amusing). Thanks!
Re:~0.2% is "clearing house"? (Score:2)
To me, the notion that Blizzard is taking some kind of hard stance by disabling ~15000 accounts is silly, considering how many WoW accounts there are in total. There's no attempt to make any kind of judgement on whether the action
Re:~0.2% is "clearing house"? (Score:2)
They should make it entertaining. (Score:5, Interesting)
(I've never played, so it may not as good an idea as it sounds)
Escape Velocity and Captain Hector (Score:3, Interesting)
After 30 days, Captain Hector got guns and would hunt you down. He wasn't too hard to kill if you had a decent ship, but he'd be back a few minutes later to attack you again. And again. And again. And again...
Re:Escape Velocity and Captain Hector (Score:2)
Later versions of Escape Velocity had several other methods that would not allow you get very far without registering. One way this was done wa
Re:They should make it entertaining. (Score:3, Interesting)
And better yet, they could then be slowly pushed to the banishment zone where their characters slowly turn into NPCs that others can defeat to receive the loot untainted.
I like it!
-Adam
o noes (Score:1)
yep, too bad theres nothing like that on the interenets [wowstatus.net]
I finally quit (Score:2)
Re:I finally quit (Score:1)
Re:I finally quit (Score:2)
I think they're very typical. But not for a game in its 18th month of operation, working on an expansion pack, and managed by a company that, until recently, had a spotless reputation for quality. I expected more from Blizzard and gave them the benefit of the doubt for a few months. But I'm tired of
Re:I finally quit (Score:1)
I left EVE for WoW and I'm not looking back.
Gold Farmers are the same as any Alt (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Gold Farmers are the same as any Alt (Score:1)
An Idea (Score:2)
Re:An Idea (Score:2)
Bliz would still be earning money from them for a while until they realized there's a conga line at the graveyard waiting for them to spawn. Oh, killing them gives honor.
Which developers did they fire? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Which developers did they fire? (Score:1)
My guess is, they're sitting on an excessive surplus, if anything.
Excessive-excessive surplus.
Any WoW executives who want to adopt an IT guy? Any?
Re:Which developers did they fire? (Score:1)
Re:Which developers did they fire? (Score:2)
The key point the Blizzard are rolling in teh dough still stands of course. Even firmer, if anything.
Re:Which developers did they fire? (Score:1)
Re:Which developers did they fire? (Score:2)
Re:Which developers did they fire? (Score:1)
They fired the ones working on fixing the server and network problems, of course.
You gain experience (Score:1)
Software? (Score:2)
Way to go blizzard! (Score:2, Informative)
Hrmm... 500 gold on my server was $30 bucks last week... Let's see what's up after blizzard's heroic bans! Arthas Server, Horde... 500 gold. $31 bucks. =|
Wow... (Score:1)
15,000 players?!? (Score:1)
Sadly (Score:2, Insightful)
Copper Farming (Score:1)
Re:Population (Score:1)
Re:People said they wouldn't do this (Score:2)
It's always nice to read these announcements from Blizzard.
Re:People said they wouldn't do this (Score:1)
Re:People said they wouldn't do this (Score:2)
Re:People said they wouldn't do this (Score:2)
Re:People said they wouldn't do this (Score:1)
If you're purposely breaking the EULA, you watch your ass.
Re:People said they wouldn't do this (Score:1)
BZZZZT!
Hardly. You can buy the game with cash, and then there are those pesky monthly game cards [bestbuy.com] that you can purchase the same way, guaranteeing your anonymity.
They're going to get a catchy name like "analog hole" pretty soon too.
BTW, WoW expansion pack fans should take note of this link [bestbuy.com]
Re:People said they wouldn't do this (Score:2)
Bwahahaha. $50 for the expansion?!
SQEEEEEEAL like a pig.
-- GeminiDomino, WoW-Free since October 2005
Re:I'm curious (Score:3, Insightful)
The misguided assumption that because one group is doing one thing (and publically), that another group isn't doing other work.
Re:I'm curious (Score:1, Insightful)
because its important. (Score:2)
As for fixing the game versus banning players. I am quite sure its different teams. The game CSR/GM group jobs only interact with developers on bu
Re:I'm curious (Score:1)
Now I don't play WoW or any MMORPG
This much is obvious. The fact here is that a lot of these accounts aren't "cheating", but rather violating the EULA/TOS/AUP (or whatever acronym Blizzard uses). I'm not certain, but I bet a lot of these accounts were used for gold farming, which while technically not cheating, has effects on the game economy, as well as creates a secondary economy for the game (this is probably the part they don't like).
Also, Quake/UT are quite a bit different. In those games, you h
Re:I'm curious (Score:1)
How do you know? I bet a large number, perhaps all, of the "banned" accounts were banned for teleport hacking. The programs to do this have gotten very sophisticated and user-friendly and nearly every server has problems with people who do nothing but teleport around the world mining rich thorium veins and hanging around instanced dungeons teleporting to places where they can't be hit but can kill bosses from.
Here's a video of someone teleportin
Re:why not... (Score:2, Informative)
Bind-on-Pickup items, like those won from bosses in dungeons, are worthless to a farmer; it can't be used by (or even go into the inventory of) anyone except the person who wins the loot roll for it. All you can do is sell it to a vendor for about 5g.
Bind-on-Equip epixxxx, which are the ones characters with no vowels in their names try to pawn off for about 800g, are almost entirely random world
Re:why not... (Score:2)
characters with no vowels in their names
Discriminating against characters from the parts of the game world equivalent to Eastern Europe (where vowels in many words have been eroded over time) or the Middle East (whose writing systems leave most vowels unwritten)?
Re:why not... (Score:1)
Re:why not... (Score:1)
Re:boohoo (Score:1)