Meter
01-02-2004, 08:32 AM
Posted by <a href="mailto:grayrage@darkenbane.com">grayrage</a>
Cheats will happen in online games. No one doubts it and most folks don't fault the developers when cheats come up especially since the devs don't want the cheating either and take action immedietly to stop it. Sony, however, in it's support (or lack thereon) have apparently stopped making any effort to stop or even ban cheaters from EQ. This, IMHO, is unforgiveable by any game developer who cares in anyway by about their players. Fact is, though, Sony has such an enormous player base that they seem to just look at the numbers involved. Does it cost them more to fight/ban cheaters then the amount of accounts they will lose to upset players who don't like the rampant cheating?
For those who do not know what I am referring to, the Server Discord has been up for several weeks now. This server is a PvP "harcore" server where death makes you a newby and all your gear is lootable. We assumed "hardcore" was referring to dying and going to level 1 and losing all your gear to PKs. We did not think for a second that it meant you were allowed to use zone and memory hacks allowing you to use GM like powers. Ok, i know we have ALL heard the enmorous cries that WE (Darkenbane) were cheating, thus when we hear someone else say someone is a cheater, we ignore it or don't believe it as it the accusation is brought against us wrongly so often. For those of you that KNOW me, you know I would not bring this accusation up if it were not true. I have born witness to it as just about anyone on Discord has. The cheaters on Discord are using a program which allows them to pop from zone to zone without having to actually travel through the zone. The can also travel at unlimited speed in the zone if they feel the need, although they can pop to any point within the zone if they desire. Often attacking them is not possible as you get an out of range message whilst they are still nuking you. They can rez themselves onto their corpses from their bind (level 1 trainers do this) among many other "abilities".
These cheaters are not "hackers" as they just use a program that any of us can download and use too (but is presently outlawed in DB). I hate to give tards like them the credit that true hackers get as being intelligent. These guys are obviously not terribly bright, or they would make some effort to defeat us playing the game like everyone else. Worse, the folks who do not use the cheats and profess to "hate cheaters" are grouping with and hanging out with them simply because they attack us. So much for their morales (ahh human nature).
It's not that cheaters are effecting us truly. We have dominated the server utterly and there is absolutely no resistance to our power. We simply avoid the cheaters (they have maybe killed 2 or 3 of our guys as opposed to mobs which have killed us 100's of times). We don't even really have a problem with the cheaters themselves (they are human after all and if they cannot win playing normal...they cheat. Same with the non cheaters hanging out with them). We KNOW people will cheat if they can. It's just human nature as pathetic as it is. What's disapointing is Sony's lack of support and action. These cheaters have brazenly and openly used their hack programs for weeks now during many hours of gameplay. Anyone online can watch as mages or shamans pop from zone to zone in seconds. A GM would not even have to follow them around to see them cheating. A simple /who all cheater would work fine. SO why does Sony fail to support the players? We don't know. Many of us have emailed them. We have sat in the EQ chat and been kicked out (not for cursing or being rude, but for simply saying someone was cheating). The GM in the chat room for 2 weeks now tells us to use /feedback and emails, but why are the cheaters still brazenly there cheating with absolutely nothing being done about it after using these avenues? Why, when we persist, does the GM in chat remove anyone who talks about cheating in EQ?
The bottom line is Darkenbane "won" Discord. We completely and totally have taken charge of every aspect of the server. It was fun to be sure. This cheating, however, is trivializing this victory and Sony, for allowing it, receives the poorest marks this writer can give them. A great idea and fun server idea, but with the poorest customer support and anti-cheat actions in the history of gaming.
So what are we going to do? Well the only thing we, as consumers, CAN do. We will begin to boycott Sony products and games. I personally will never, ever buy a Sony game again. I will begin to make efforts to remove any support for their games on our website (we will continue to support our PS players for the time being, but i am hopeful they stop playing one day soon as well). There are many good alternatives to all Sony products for games and electronics and I will make an effort to ask and have those loyal to the gaming hobby to join us in this boycott. Additionally, we are officially branding Everquest a hacked game with cheating rampant. If you play Everquest, know that you are playing a game which allows cheating and hacking which will ultimately trivialize your gameplay. I am not talking about SEQ here guys. I am talking about mad crazy cheats that only a GM could do.....except in the hands of a childish player.
If anyone from Sony reads this and cares at all, please understand that we are gamers. It's our hobby that we take very seriously and enjoy. As gamers, we are truly disapointed in your handling of this. You let us down. If anyone is interested in the names of the actual hackers (we won't list the guys who hang out with them yet) you can view it <a href="http://forums.darkenbane.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=39665#post39665">here.</a>
Addemdum: As of 4:10 EST PM a few hours after this news post, a GM logged onto Discord and Highlander was banned. We are hopeful anyone else using these cheats follows him (including any DBers who were using it against our rules).
Cheats will happen in online games. No one doubts it and most folks don't fault the developers when cheats come up especially since the devs don't want the cheating either and take action immedietly to stop it. Sony, however, in it's support (or lack thereon) have apparently stopped making any effort to stop or even ban cheaters from EQ. This, IMHO, is unforgiveable by any game developer who cares in anyway by about their players. Fact is, though, Sony has such an enormous player base that they seem to just look at the numbers involved. Does it cost them more to fight/ban cheaters then the amount of accounts they will lose to upset players who don't like the rampant cheating?
For those who do not know what I am referring to, the Server Discord has been up for several weeks now. This server is a PvP "harcore" server where death makes you a newby and all your gear is lootable. We assumed "hardcore" was referring to dying and going to level 1 and losing all your gear to PKs. We did not think for a second that it meant you were allowed to use zone and memory hacks allowing you to use GM like powers. Ok, i know we have ALL heard the enmorous cries that WE (Darkenbane) were cheating, thus when we hear someone else say someone is a cheater, we ignore it or don't believe it as it the accusation is brought against us wrongly so often. For those of you that KNOW me, you know I would not bring this accusation up if it were not true. I have born witness to it as just about anyone on Discord has. The cheaters on Discord are using a program which allows them to pop from zone to zone without having to actually travel through the zone. The can also travel at unlimited speed in the zone if they feel the need, although they can pop to any point within the zone if they desire. Often attacking them is not possible as you get an out of range message whilst they are still nuking you. They can rez themselves onto their corpses from their bind (level 1 trainers do this) among many other "abilities".
These cheaters are not "hackers" as they just use a program that any of us can download and use too (but is presently outlawed in DB). I hate to give tards like them the credit that true hackers get as being intelligent. These guys are obviously not terribly bright, or they would make some effort to defeat us playing the game like everyone else. Worse, the folks who do not use the cheats and profess to "hate cheaters" are grouping with and hanging out with them simply because they attack us. So much for their morales (ahh human nature).
It's not that cheaters are effecting us truly. We have dominated the server utterly and there is absolutely no resistance to our power. We simply avoid the cheaters (they have maybe killed 2 or 3 of our guys as opposed to mobs which have killed us 100's of times). We don't even really have a problem with the cheaters themselves (they are human after all and if they cannot win playing normal...they cheat. Same with the non cheaters hanging out with them). We KNOW people will cheat if they can. It's just human nature as pathetic as it is. What's disapointing is Sony's lack of support and action. These cheaters have brazenly and openly used their hack programs for weeks now during many hours of gameplay. Anyone online can watch as mages or shamans pop from zone to zone in seconds. A GM would not even have to follow them around to see them cheating. A simple /who all cheater would work fine. SO why does Sony fail to support the players? We don't know. Many of us have emailed them. We have sat in the EQ chat and been kicked out (not for cursing or being rude, but for simply saying someone was cheating). The GM in the chat room for 2 weeks now tells us to use /feedback and emails, but why are the cheaters still brazenly there cheating with absolutely nothing being done about it after using these avenues? Why, when we persist, does the GM in chat remove anyone who talks about cheating in EQ?
The bottom line is Darkenbane "won" Discord. We completely and totally have taken charge of every aspect of the server. It was fun to be sure. This cheating, however, is trivializing this victory and Sony, for allowing it, receives the poorest marks this writer can give them. A great idea and fun server idea, but with the poorest customer support and anti-cheat actions in the history of gaming.
So what are we going to do? Well the only thing we, as consumers, CAN do. We will begin to boycott Sony products and games. I personally will never, ever buy a Sony game again. I will begin to make efforts to remove any support for their games on our website (we will continue to support our PS players for the time being, but i am hopeful they stop playing one day soon as well). There are many good alternatives to all Sony products for games and electronics and I will make an effort to ask and have those loyal to the gaming hobby to join us in this boycott. Additionally, we are officially branding Everquest a hacked game with cheating rampant. If you play Everquest, know that you are playing a game which allows cheating and hacking which will ultimately trivialize your gameplay. I am not talking about SEQ here guys. I am talking about mad crazy cheats that only a GM could do.....except in the hands of a childish player.
If anyone from Sony reads this and cares at all, please understand that we are gamers. It's our hobby that we take very seriously and enjoy. As gamers, we are truly disapointed in your handling of this. You let us down. If anyone is interested in the names of the actual hackers (we won't list the guys who hang out with them yet) you can view it <a href="http://forums.darkenbane.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=39665#post39665">here.</a>
Addemdum: As of 4:10 EST PM a few hours after this news post, a GM logged onto Discord and Highlander was banned. We are hopeful anyone else using these cheats follows him (including any DBers who were using it against our rules).