i have been scammed out of 2 dark auras by a scammer i have sent a ticket to cryptic but they have neither replied nor helped at all was wondering if anyone else has retrived lost items taken by scammers or if cryptic has helped them at all /he has scammed some of my friends too
i have been scammed out of 2 dark auras by a scammer i have sent a ticket to cryptic but they have neither replied nor helped at all was wondering if anyone else has retrived lost items taken by scammers or if cryptic has helped them at all /he has scammed some of my friends too
I've experienced a similar issue. I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Join chat channel 'shame' and check for any postings about potential scammers before initiating a trade. Your safest bet is to sell the items on the Auction House if at all possible.
<::::::::::::::)xxxo <::::::::::::::)xxxo <::::::::::::)xxxxxxxx(:::::::::::> oxxx(::::::::::::::> oxxx(::::::::::::::> "Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
Just 2 days ago there was a discussion in a GW2 forum where people were complaining
that there is no direct trade window in that game. And exactly this was my answer.
So .. don't wanna get scammed ? Use the AH. Mostly there is a reason when people spam
the channels with stuff instead simply putting it into the AH.
Just 2 days ago there was a discussion in a GW2 forum where people were complaining
that there is no direct trade window in that game. And exactly this was my answer.
So .. don't wanna get scammed ? Use the AH. Mostly there is a reason when people spam
the channels with stuff instead simply putting it into the AH.
The only thing I'll say about the AH that annoys me is that, let's say you are a new player and find a really valuable item as a drop - you cannot afford the listing fee to post said item on the AH for what its current market value is. I think they should change it so the listing fee is taken from the sale price, instead of as an initial expense.
<::::::::::::::)xxxo <::::::::::::::)xxxo <::::::::::::)xxxxxxxx(:::::::::::> oxxx(::::::::::::::> oxxx(::::::::::::::> "Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
I'm sorry to say that, as far as I know, no one has been refunded items taken by a scammer...
Simply put, they have no way of knowing a scam occurred. In fact, your complaint could be a scam. Think of it, you call a buddy up, he makes a Silver account, the two of you set up a "sale" in chat (to make it all look honest), he "steals" your Dark Auras, you file a complaint, he then mails the Auras back to you before (or rather, if) he's banned for scamming. Cryptic refunds your "stolen" Auras, and now you have four...
Look, I KNOW that that's not what happened to you, but those are the types of things that keeps them from acting on scam reports...
They basically have a "Buyer (and Seller) Beware" attitude...
Originally Posted by mijjestic: Ultimately, though, MMO players throwing stones at each other in this fashion is basically one nerd pointing and laughing at another nerd whose glasses are thicker.
The only thing I'll say about the AH that annoys me is that, let's say you are a new player and find a really valuable item as a drop - you cannot afford the listing fee to post said item on the AH for what its current market value is. I think they should change it so the listing fee is taken from the sale price, instead of as an initial expense.
That has happend due to cries from players. The AH was totally free when i first played CO
but people cried that some are using it as an endless bank and it shouldn't be free.
If you're doing a trade and you don't want to get scammed, only trade when the actual item itself is in the trade window. Do not mail, do not accept partial trades. If someone is saying "well I'm a silver and I can't have mroe than 250G" then ask them if they'd take the 250 and something else in trade because you do NOT want to give ANYONE ANYTHING unless what you want is in their end of the trade window.
That has happend due to cries from players. The AH was totally free when i first played CO
but people cried that some are using it as an endless bank and it shouldn't be free.
Sigh...
Well, it would be nice if the devs implemented a trade system that wasn't so easily abused - something where each party locks in their part of the trade, then another screen is presented where each party has to agree to the trade and neither side can alter what's been listed - only agree to the trade or cancel out of it...
<::::::::::::::)xxxo <::::::::::::::)xxxo <::::::::::::)xxxxxxxx(:::::::::::> oxxx(::::::::::::::> oxxx(::::::::::::::> "Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
Well, it would be nice if the devs implemented a trade system that wasn't so easily abused - something where each party locks in their part of the trade, then another screen is presented where each party has to agree to the trade and neither side can alter what's been listed - only agree to the trade or cancel out of it...
Originally Posted by mijjestic: Ultimately, though, MMO players throwing stones at each other in this fashion is basically one nerd pointing and laughing at another nerd whose glasses are thicker.
Well, it would be nice if the devs implemented a trade system that wasn't so easily abused - something where each party locks in their part of the trade, then another screen is presented where each party has to agree to the trade and neither side can alter what's been listed - only agree to the trade or cancel out of it...
That's almost what's already in place. Once you hit Accept, you can't alter. Just make sure you don't hit accept until what you want is in the screen. If the other party alters their end of the trade, it auto-cancels your accept. So if they want what you're giving them, they have to leave what's in their end of the trade in place.
Scams come about when people either agree to do partial trades, trade through mail, trade something that can't be placed in a trade window (such as a zen point card number) or segmented or partial trades (part of the trade now, part of the trade later).
That's almost what's already in place. Once you hit Accept, you can't alter. Just make sure you don't hit accept until what you want is in the screen. If the other party alters their end of the trade, it auto-cancels your accept. So if they want what you're giving them, they have to leave what's in their end of the trade in place.
Scams come about when people either agree to do partial trades, trade through mail, trade something that can't be placed in a trade window (such as a zen point card number) or segmented or partial trades (part of the trade now, part of the trade later).
The problem is, its easy to rush it. The most common mistake is folks simply hitting accept much too fast. They are in a hurry and end up hurting themselves.
But even if the trade window got redesigned, it wouldn't fix everything. Heck, even the AH is fairly well borked right now. And that's as close as anyone can get to scamless system. Bugs can break anything.
The scammers know this. The game is buggy, the AH is on the fritz, this is a perfect storm for them. Folks really just need to be aware of this and take all the caution they can.
That's almost what's already in place. Once you hitAccept, you can't alter. Just make sure you don't hit accept until what you want is in the screen. If the other party alters their end of the trade, it auto-cancels your accept. So if they want what you're giving them, they have to leave what's in their end of the trade in place.
Scams come about when people either agree to do partial trades, trade through mail, trade something that can't be placed in a trade window (such as a zen point card number) or segmented or partial trades (part of the trade now, part of the trade later).
This is not entirely true...
There is a slight delay in the system that, if timed right, allows the scammer to hit Cancel right as you click Accept and the scammer will still get your items while you get bupkis...
Originally Posted by mijjestic: Ultimately, though, MMO players throwing stones at each other in this fashion is basically one nerd pointing and laughing at another nerd whose glasses are thicker.
There is a slight delay in the system that, if timed right, allows the scammer to hit Cancel right as you click Accept and the scammer will still get your items while you get bupkis...
This is what needs to be fixed...
Pardon me for being skeptical, but something like that sounds like it'd take only a few tens of milliseconds of precision over a connection with a ping that is often rated well over a hundred milliseconds. So can you demonstrate this feat to me in-game? I'm not the type to repeat information without knowing for certain, and something like this bares repeating.
As was mentioned in the thread earlier, I started a channel called "Shame" to call out players who do any of a number of tacky things. These things include leeching in an Alert, trying to trade scam people, serially joining SGs in order to gut their SG bank of anything and everything to which they have access, and so on.
In order to join and use the channel you can click around in the UI a bit, or just use these case-insensitive command line (chat area) entries:
/channeljoin shame
Joins the channel, allowing you to follow the chat. This applies to your account, and is not character-specific. It also automatically joins you into the channel every time you login, until such time as you leave the channel or are removed from it.
/channelsend shame my message
This is a way of sending text to the channel without having to click to select it from the channels widget. This seems to sporadically take over your regular channel and make shame into your main channel. Since this doesn't always happen, I can't say what is the exact cause.
For both of those commands, just type them into the chat widget, and hit Enter. For the second command, the underlined portion is replaced with your own text, e.g., "/channelsend shame @Dubsy just scammed me out of my mom, I am mad!"
If these commands are hard to remember, just start with "/channel" -- this will bring up a list of autocomplete entries, so your memory should pick up from there.
If you want to see the MotD, which I update periodically with the most recently reported offenders, just click on the chat balloon at the bottom right of the chat widget, then click on Channels. Once the new window opens, mouseover "Shame" in the list, and wait for the tooltip to appear. This explains the channel's purpose, and lists the latest serial offenders. I am not sure what the character limit is for either field, but if the MotD should ever become too small to house all the names, I will take that as a sign of the channel's success, and replace the description with still more names.
I realise that this is not a perfect solution, but my theory when I started the channel was that if someone's name popped up only every once in awhile, they would soon be forgotten as far as being seen as a leech, for example. Let's face it, real life happens. If I queue for a Smash, and then I hear an explosion in the kitchen, I'm going to go make sure everyone is okay. Since I do not make a habit of going AFK at the top of a Smash, should my name ever appear, it should be infrequently enough that it wouldn't have any impact. Additionally, if it is always only one player who is constantly reporting one other player, well. Consider the source.
By the same token, if the same name keeps popping up OVER and OVER and OVER again, for whatever offense, you can probably be fairly certain that that is just how they are. Please bear in mind that if you want to trade with someone you don't know, and they are not listed in the channel as being a known scammer, that does NOT mean they are definitely not a scammer. It just means we have no record of someone with that @handle repeatedly attempting to do this. As always, caveat emptor, and if you do get scammed, please, let Shame know.
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[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I was Dubsy on the Old Forums. I am still @Dubsy in-game. Also, lol.
As was mentioned in the thread earlier, I started a channel called "Shame" to call out players who do any of a number of tacky things. These things include leeching in an Alert, trying to trade scam people, serially joining SGs in order to gut their SG bank of anything and everything to which they have access, and so on.
The problem with this is one of credibility. It's one person's word over another's. If the channel were popular enough, it'd be a cakewalk to use it to discredit an innocent person. Basically, I'm saying that an idea like this is no better than the report spam feature. the more people know about it, the easier it will be to abuse it.
Pardon me for being skeptical, but something like that sounds like it'd take only a few tens of milliseconds of precision over a connection with a ping that is often rated well over a hundred milliseconds. So can you demonstrate this feat to me in-game? I'm not the type to repeat information without knowing for certain, and something like this bares repeating.
Since it seems like you are below doing the footwork yourself...
Originally Posted by mijjestic: Ultimately, though, MMO players throwing stones at each other in this fashion is basically one nerd pointing and laughing at another nerd whose glasses are thicker.
a 10 secs timer before the trade is actually done would solve the problem. If any of the traders change the condition they need to fix their position and then the timer would restart. That way, there would be always 10 secs to cancel a bad trade or scam.
For the silver issue, it is regrettable the resource limitation in silvers serves as an excuse for scammers. From my experience trading with silvers, they use becomes as a 200-300g token.
A nice feature would be that we(golds and silvers) could use the hideout bank to pay/receive resources from the market.
I would also reduce the deposit to 1% of the value to foster trade through the market
The problem with this is one of credibility. It's one person's word over another's. If the channel were popular enough, it'd be a cakewalk to use it to discredit an innocent person. Basically, I'm saying that an idea like this is no better than the report spam feature. the more people know about it, the easier it will be to abuse it.
I've already explained why this is not a problem. It's expressly not one person's word vs. another. I've made clear that nobody should be taking the word of a single player. The point is that if you see the SAME NAME appearing OVER and OVER as being a leech/scammer/whatever, from multiple unique sources, then they likely are. You are, of course, welcome to not participate.
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[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I was Dubsy on the Old Forums. I am still @Dubsy in-game. Also, lol.
I'm sorry to say that, as far as I know, no one has been refunded items taken by a scammer...
Simply put, they have no way of knowing a scam occurred. In fact, your complaint could be a scam. Think of it, you call a buddy up, he makes a Silver account, the two of you set up a "sale" in chat (to make it all look honest), he "steals" your Dark Auras, you file a complaint, he then mails the Auras back to you before (or rather, if) he's banned for scamming. Cryptic refunds your "stolen" Auras, and now you have four...
Look, I KNOW that that's not what happened to you, but those are the types of things that keeps them from acting on scam reports...
They basically have a "Buyer (and Seller) Beware" attitude...
Exactly. And this is the same thing other game companies have to do to. Whether it be WoW, or TF2, or whatever. You have to be looking out for you, and using a safe method like the AH and close friends you can trust are the only truly safe trade methods.
I have friends in this game I trust enough that I let one of them try something out with a Harmon Catalyst I had. And that's worth WAAAAAY more than any Dark Aura lol!
That has happened due to cries from players. The AH was totally free when i first played CO but people cried that some are using it as an endless bank and it shouldn't be free.
The AH fee (5% if I recall correctly) makes logical sense if you think about it, yes.
So .. don't wanna get scammed ? Use the AH. Mostly there is a reason when people spam
the channels with stuff instead simply putting it into the AH.
Yep! The auction house is the safe & secure method. You can't get scammed on the AH.
You can overpay for something (subjective; the price could have simply dropped from when you bought it), or have somebody undercut something you're selling (subjective; you may think you're being undercut, but maybe your price was too high and it's you who needs to see it differently, either that or your should buy up the underseller and post it at your desired price to make a profit). But bottom line is you can't get cheated/scammed out of items in a trade that makes use of the AH. One person just gets the item, while the other just gets the gold/resources directly to the inventory of the character that posted it.
Honestly, the people who frequently whine on Zone about the Auction House being too expensive are either too lazy to farm it or scammers themselves with a vested interest. The market has a powerful ability to self-regulate, thus is the wonder of capitalism. Simply put, sellers want to sell and buyers want to buy. Sellers will go as low as necessary to sell, or their stuff simply won't sell. Buyers are always looking for the cheapest price, the best deals. This forces both parties to seek a middle ground. Sometimes all that's left on the AH market is the stuff that hasn't sold because it was above market value, sometimes the market value IS just that high and you can either go and get it yourself or be patient enough to wait for the price to drop (which is what I often do).
tl;dr
Sorry about your bad luck, bigfoot765. You might want to stick to using the AH from now on, this isn't something Cryptic can help you with nor are they responsible for.
Hmm I wonder... would you all benefit from my making a guide on how to get wealthy in this game through via AH? I could create a "how to" guide if there was enough of an audience for it. All of my profits either came from the AH or trades on the "trade" chat channel, and the AH is the majority. The markets I used to almost completely control (when I was online a lot) in Spring of this year more were these:
Shaman Bone Rattle (@ ~3g ea.)
Ritual Blood Knife (@ ~2.5g ea.)
Dragon Power Cores (@ ~2g ea.)
Questionite (@ 7.5g ea.; talking about the original Questionite, before On Alert)
Greater Servitor Serum (I had somebody else who made it, and I'd give him the raw materials to craft with)
Things I have spent this gold on was... well mostly buying up the Nimbus of Force market and lots and lots of DEX Mods (also some CON, Impact Cores, and Gambler's cores).
My biggest mistake was buying a Heroic Breastplate of Agility for 500g when it first came out. That's my fault for being impatient.
I also bought about 1050 Zen for Questionite when it was about 75 to 80 Q per C-Store Point (before it turned into Zen and before the price skyrocketed towards 200 Q per zen).
I guess the moral of the story is you have to be smart. And for the record, I'm very generous to my loyal friends. As I have a collection of over two dozen level 40 Nimbuses of Force, I can afford to give them out as free gifts to friends who have earned my respect if they're truly needing one.
The great thing about gifts among friends you can trust is that what goes around comes around. I might be generous with something they're desperately wanting one day, and then they'll have something I really want on a different day. This is known as "paying it forward", and it gives you that nice warm & fuzzy feeling to know you've helped somebody out.
Let's say you are a low level player w/ no alts, and happen upon something that's worth, say, 500G. You cannot list it on the AH until you have 25G - this may not be a large sum for some players, but a new low level player may have an issue w/ this. This means that the AH is right out until they get that sum...
<::::::::::::::)xxxo <::::::::::::::)xxxo <::::::::::::)xxxxxxxx(:::::::::::> oxxx(::::::::::::::> oxxx(::::::::::::::> "Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
As was mentioned in the thread earlier, I started a channel called "Shame" to call out players who do any of a number of tacky things. These things include leeching in an Alert, trying to trade scam people, serially joining SGs in order to gut their SG bank of anything and everything to which they have access, and so on.
[...]
I realize that this is not a perfect solution, but my theory when I started the channel was that if someone's name popped up only every once in awhile, they would soon be forgotten as far as being seen as a leech, for example. Let's face it, real life happens. If I queue for a Smash, and then I hear an explosion in the kitchen, I'm going to go make sure everyone is okay. Since I do not make a habit of going AFK at the top of a Smash, should my name ever appear, it should be infrequently enough that it wouldn't have any impact. Additionally, if it is always only one player who is constantly reporting one other player, well. Consider the source.
By the same token, if the same name keeps popping up OVER and OVER and OVER again, for whatever offense, you can probably be fairly certain that that is just how they are. Please bear in mind that if you want to trade with someone you don't know, and they are not listed in the channel as being a known scammer, that does NOT mean they are definitely not a scammer. It just means we have no record of someone with that @handle repeatedly attempting to do this. As always, caveat emptor, and if you do get scammed, please, let Shame know.
Justice requires evidence, or what will happen as you gain popularity draws the risk of cyberbullying, just like people are currently doing in this game against Costume Contest hosts.
I do know what I'm taking about (from my gaming past): http://www.battlefieldheroes.com/en/groups/42556
This was an anti-cheat group I created to deal with a SEVERE script-kiddie/hacking issue that started right after EA & Dice Studios starting making the game more pay-to-win, with items. (as in if you didn't spend money and buy heal items and guns, you couldn't keep up)
The pay-to-win and the headache from what felt like always having to deal with cheaters using 3rd party hacking software almost every time I played (because of the matchmaking thing, and I had on of the top ranks in the world for a commando), made the game cease to be fun. Although I tried for a long time to get along with it, eventually it was just something stressing me out and not fun at all. I started playing Minecraft a whole lot instead (and then eventually found Champions Online my friends kind of forced me to play it, I was reluctant at first)
But anyways my point was that in order to justify a ban, there had to be at least conclusive video evidence and/or PBSS's, and that judgement was left up to EA or the private server admins.
Example of what I'm talking about (note that I'm invisible to enemy players who aren't at within arm's reach when "ghosted" like that, and the machine gun he's using is meant for close range and has very high spread, it normally misses most shots at a moderate range. In other words, aimbot + no-spread + wallhack, and obvious): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXZzMPW5ACg
(skip to 10:00 if you're wanting to see how I get him in the end, FTW no less)
Note: This game only has one public server, run by Cryptic. That game had privately rented servers. An important difference in authority, as you are not in charge of other players here and they can't just avoid your server if they don't like how you are running things, you don't have a choice here. What you are doing with the "shame" channel, while good intentioned could be abused for cyber bullying. Granted this will be a minority of cases, but it undermines the good purpose of the effort.
Let's say you are a low level player w/ no alts, and happen upon something that's worth, say, 500G. You cannot list it on the AH until you have 25G - this may not be a large sum for some players, but a new low level player may have an issue w/ this. This means that the AH is right out until they get that sum...
Hmmm how many low lvl players come across some thing of that value and if they do they will be doing content that will quickly make the money to sell it on the AH. They will also have to be gold as silvers have a 250 globals limit and with this in mind I only sell things at a maximum of 250g and I'm still making money.
Of course they can take the risk of selling outside the AH and be scammed like the original poster.
a 10 secs timer before the trade is actually done would solve the problem. If any of the traders change the condition they need to fix their position and then the timer would restart. That way, there would be always 10 secs to cancel a bad trade or scam.
The popular suggestion to use a secondary "checkbox" lockout is a better idea, IMHO. Good luck finding it now though that it's all "archived post"...
For the silver issue, it is regrettable the resource limitation in silvers serves as an excuse for scammers. From my experience trading with silvers, they use becomes as a 200-300g token.
This is a stupid fiat currency (not criticizing you here, I'm criticizing it as an illogical choice in general). Become devices don't have a very good resale value typically (Why would a Gold or LTS player want one except for show?) and more importantly, they can't be stacked for storage. Stacking is important if you want to accumulate wealth, for saving. This is ESPECIALLY true for Silvers because your bank slots, AH slots, and inventory space is very limited.
I'd recommend stack-able items that have a good market demand resale value. Mods and Cores are the most logical fiat currency I can think of at this time, particularly CON Mods which are quite stable in price I believe... Stability is impotant if you want to use it as a fiat currency (or if you're really clever / lucky; you invest in something that will go up in price so that when you sell it you gain a profit when you sell it)
I would also reduce the deposit to 1% of the value to foster trade through the market
That's too low... My absolute minimum would be 2% or 2.5%. Go any lower and people will start using the AH like a 3rd party bank.
However, I will say that I agree that 5% may need to be lowered, as the market isn't moving as readily as it used to... but then again that could be simply because most new players (as it turns out) don't even know the Auction House EXISTS!!!
Yes really, I've asked many a new player in the game if they know what the Auction House is and they don't. Apparently it was removed from the tutorial or something.
Justice requires evidence, or what will happen as you gain popularity draws the risk of cyberbullying, just like people are currently doing in this game against Costume Contest hosts.
I agree with you, justice does require evidence. Fortunately, I am not in the business of dispensing justice.
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[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I was Dubsy on the Old Forums. I am still @Dubsy in-game. Also, lol.
I've already explained why this is not a problem. It's expressly not one person's word vs. another. I've made clear that nobody should be taking the word of a single player. The point is that if you see the SAME NAME appearing OVER and OVER as being a leech/scammer/whatever, from multiple unique sources, then they likely are. You are, of course, welcome to not participate.
Again, the report spam option is abused despite the same safeguard... Either people gang up on a person to abuse it, or they use multiple accounts.
It is entirely safe in that YOU get the money from any item YOU sell. And, YOU get the item YOU bought.
However, there is a potential for scamming. Without going into detail, suffice it to say that you can post some items that have absolutely NO value (no, I don't mean it doesn't have monetary value, either). And, I must admit, I have done this on a couple of items, just as a "I can post this? Wow. Who would buy it?" thing.
Maybe that last comment tarnishes me but, most anyone who has ever dealt with me knows, I practically give stuff away. I've had 25 Redeye Lasers drop and GIVEN away 18 of them. Most of the CTP mats were just GIVEN away. Etc.
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-=-=-=-=-=-(CO in-game handle: @WarCan )-=-=-=-=-=- "Okay, you're DEAD, what do you do NEXT?"
Again, the report spam option is abused despite the same safeguard... Either people gang up on a person to abuse it, or they use multiple accounts.
One person using multiple accounts is not multiple unique sources. It is a single source attempting to appear like multiple unique sources, and frankly, they're quite obvious when they do this. You are talking about the way that someone can abuse a mechanism. There is no button to push to for the average user to achieve a mechanically guaranteed effect in /shame.
Convincing a machine or program that you are something other than what you are is a comparatively simple process, especially when you know the rules the machine uses to determine that. I grant you that social engineering is bound to succeed against some members (which is how people manage to pull scams in the first place), but you are presenting a false equivalency. And in any case, as always, if you are absolutely convinced that the approach has no merit, you are welcome to not participate.
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[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I was Dubsy on the Old Forums. I am still @Dubsy in-game. Also, lol.
If it's worth more because it's a limited supply and the market will bear it, then it's worth more.
If DA was say selling consistently for 500g and somebody followed your advice and posted it for half that, at 250g, then guess what? As soon as a smart investor such as myself or any of the others on the trade channel see it, we're going to buy it and resell it for slightly less than 500g. It's simple market economics really, just in a miniature virtual form.
That said I'm not interested in gouging people, as that only hurts your ability to keep selling to the market. My point is there's a balance.
If somebody posts too low below the balance and undercuts your price, that's not a reason to get mad at them. It's a reason rejoice if you've got the gold/resources saved up, because you can now take advantage of their foolishness and profit off it. And for buyers this is also a good thing because it keeps a balance between rarity/exclusivity and cheap prices.
Find the balance, remember that it changes constantly, and have fun! (oh, and remember to be generous to your friends and newbies to the game)
I agree with you, justice does require evidence. Fortunately, I am not in the business of dispensing justice.
Sorry no...
You are in the business of dispensing justice if you're creating a channel to shame people who have done wrong. Whether born from good or ill will, whether well designed to be fair or poorly designed to be unjust, the fact remains that you are, by definition, exacting justice on the population. Perhaps for the better, but you'd be wise to re-read what I wrote more more closely. (i.e.: appeal system)
However, there is a potential for scamming. Without going into detail, suffice it to say that you can post some items that have absolutely NO value (no, I don't mean it doesn't have monetary value, either). And, I must admit, I have done this on a couple of items, just as a "I can post this? Wow. Who would buy it?" thing.
Maybe that last comment tarnishes me but, most anyone who has ever dealt with me knows, I practically give stuff away. I've had 25 Redeye Lasers drop and GIVEN away 18 of them. Most of the CTP mats were just GIVEN away. Etc.
No. That's not what I'd qualify as scamming. Scamming is when you agree to a negotiated trade and then don't deliver on what is promised, whether by stealing and not giving anything in return or by giving far less than what is fair.
On the AH you can see all prices and you can simply refuse to buy if it's a crap deal. If it doesn't sell, guess what? It goes back to the one who posted it an they're out 5% of the posted price, resources they're not going to get back because they failed to sell.
The AH will never just take your money and not give you what is shown. You get exactly the item shown and pay exactly the amount shown. That's pretty freaking safe!
In light of the devs' unwillingness or inability to implement proper safeguards to avoid these types of issues, what are players left to do? Are we to become super paranoid that everyone is out to get us? Should we never trade with anyone? A channel like this is *not* a perfect solution, nor was it ever billed as such - but it *is* one of the few resources players have to keep tabs on things.
*If* the devs truly investigated this issue, returned stolen items, updated the trade system, improved the AH, and took any other steps to stamp out these sorts of exploitative behaviors, then I'd be more inclined to agree that the Shame channel isn't needed...
<::::::::::::::)xxxo <::::::::::::::)xxxo <::::::::::::)xxxxxxxx(:::::::::::> oxxx(::::::::::::::> oxxx(::::::::::::::> "Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
In light of the devs' unwillingness or inability to implement proper safeguards to avoid these types of issues, what are players left to do? Are we to become super paranoid that everyone is out to get us? Should we never trade with anyone? A channel like this is *not* a perfect solution, nor was it ever billed as such - but it *is* one of the few resources players have to keep tabs on things.
*If* the devs truly investigated this issue, returned stolen items, updated the trade system, improved the AH, and took any other steps to stamp out these sorts of exploitative behaviors, then I'd be more inclined to agree that the Shame channel isn't needed...
I'm not even saying it isn't necessary, as I demonstrated in my post with the B.I.U. if you read it and clicked the link...
I'm saying it's a fine line to walk, and there's great potential, even with the best intentions for a good system to become corrupted by power and thus prone to abuse.
Justice is a never ending struggle in the balance of fairness and effectiveness. And yes, I do know what I'm talking about although I'm not going to go into personally identifiable details here, sorry.
I don't know how else to say it. And I'm not trying to be trite with you all, but seriously, re-read what I posted over on the previous page. I'm starting to sound like a broken record to myself here lol
My recommendations:
When in doubt, auction house! (catchy ring to it eh?)
"trade" chat channel for big movers (very expensive items with a limited market)
Zone chat trading not advisable, unless it's an event on-going, but even then you must be very careful & knowledgeable! (including knowing the market price and names of scammers, or suspicious people)
If you're in doubt if a seller is legit, ask for opinions on "trade" or this new "shame" channel for advice. I typically write "Seller Reliability Check: {insert name}"
The most useful piece of advice I can give regarding trades is, wait...
Don't hit accept as soon as you see the item placed in the window. Scammers count on that immediate click when the item is placed and that gives them the chance to remove the item (or money) and get your goods. Wait a few seconds and just observe what happens...
A few months ago I was going to buy a Become A Crimson Djinn from a guy for 150 global. I placed my money in the window, the item appeared in the trade box, I waited of few seconds, and suddenly the item disappeared and the sale cancelled. This happened 3 times in a row before I received a PM from the guy say "Don't you want this?". I replied "Not from you..." put him on ignore and flew off...
If someone is legit, they shouldn't mind waiting a few seconds to make a sale/purchase....
Originally Posted by mijjestic: Ultimately, though, MMO players throwing stones at each other in this fashion is basically one nerd pointing and laughing at another nerd whose glasses are thicker.
As many as do smash after smash that get costume drops.
Not really, chaining smashes doesn't get you much in the way of G.
so people sell costume drops for 500g and people actually buy them now I am shocked I would never pay that for a costume I could grind for. I think it is peoples greed that makes them put things in the AH for huge prices (that silvers can't afford) for things they got for free. If they are chaining smashes it's for the exp not the drops.
If silvers can't buy it in the AH because of the high price they will trade outside the safety of the AH and this allows the scam artists to strike.
I sell lots of costume unlocks I get in the AH for 100g or less(never more) this way I'm helping my fellow man and still making a profit of 100g as I got the item for free.
You are in the business of dispensing justice if you're creating a channel to shame people who have done wrong. Whether born from good or ill will, whether well designed to be fair or poorly designed to be unjust, the fact remains that you are, by definition, exacting justice on the population. Perhaps for the better, but you'd be wise to re-read what I wrote more more closely. (i.e.: appeal system)
There is no element of a Justice Shoppe in the channel's intent or actual function. There is no appeal system because there is no court, let alone a series of courts with ever-increasing authority. There are no police. There is no sentencing body, and there is nobody to enforce or carry it out even if there were. A neighbourhood watch can effect some change. It may be occasionally negative, but on balance, in my experience, it tends to be more positive.
Please tell me you're not seriously trying to argue that because a solution is not COMPLETELY PERFECT, the proponent of that solution is somehow in error for proceeding anyway.
You are flat-out wrong. Ironically you're demanding that I read and re-read what you wrote, presumably until I agree with you. Sadly, I will not agree with your characterisation of what I'm doing, because it is not accurate. No amount of re-reading your sanctimonious drivel will change that. As always, you are welcome to not participate if you find the channel to be too offensive in principle.
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[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I was Dubsy on the Old Forums. I am still @Dubsy in-game. Also, lol.
There is no element of a Justice Shoppe in the channel's intent or actual function. There is no appeal system because there is no court, let alone a series of courts with ever-increasing authority. There are no police. There is no sentencing body, and there is nobody to enforce or carry it out even if there were. A neighbourhood watch can effect some change. It may be occasionally negative, but on balance, in my experience, it tends to be more positive.
Please tell me you're not seriously trying to argue that because a solution is not COMPLETELY PERFECT, the proponent of that solution is somehow in error for proceeding anyway.
You are flat-out wrong. Ironically you're demanding that I read and re-read what you wrote, presumably until I agree with you. Sadly, I will not agree with your characterisation of what I'm doing, because it is not accurate. No amount of re-reading your sanctimonious drivel will change that. As always, you are welcome to not participate if you find the channel to be too offensive in principle.
Not only is your system not COMPLETELY PERFECT, it's downright flawed and easy to abuse...
A system based on the number of reports to label someone as a repeat offender in a F2P game, where I can go make 20 accounts right now, all of which proclaim "Dubsy ripped me off!", is pretty much next to useless...
Originally Posted by mijjestic: Ultimately, though, MMO players throwing stones at each other in this fashion is basically one nerd pointing and laughing at another nerd whose glasses are thicker.
You're still not getting what I've been saying if you're implying I'm against the principle of a neighborhood watch or the channel's existence... *sigh* Why are you being so defensive? If you can't take the criticism, if you can't take the heat, then why are you in the kitchen?
Your assumptions at what I was trying to get across with "are you seriously suggesting" isn't what I was saying at all either (no system is perfectly flawless, no duh). For the last time, I'm not disagreeing with your goal, I'm just trying to get you to open your mind a bit to understanding the potential problems or risks involved with such an undertaking. I feel the underlying message I'm trying to get across to you is being ignored (although I'm honestly trying my best to communicate). This isn't me being sanctimonious at all, or wrong with my insights. I'm cautioning you. Such a system is prone to risks such as corruption or cyber-bullying abuse. That's it.
Am I not making sense?
If you still don't understand my point, then I give up out of unnecessary frustration this is causing me.
A system based on the number of reports to label someone as a repeat offender in a F2P game, where I can go make 20 accounts right now, all of which proclaim "Dubsy ripped me off!", is pretty much next to useless...
Which, as mentioned earlier, is extremely easy to spot. If somebody can't see it, then they can't see it, and I'm not really interested in troubling myself about it.
You're still not getting what I've been saying if you're implying I'm against the principle of a neighborhood watch or the channel's existence... *sigh* Why are you being so defensive? If you can't take the criticism, if you can't take the heat, then why are you in the kitchen?
First off, I'm more than capable of extinguishing your "heat." If I laid down and let you condescend to me without a contrary word, then I'd agree, but again, here, you are not correct. I am not your child or your dog.
Your intent may have been to caution, and I grant you that your first sentence or two stated exactly that. Then you went on to draw comparisons where none existed, and the volume of pseudo-intellectual babble upon which you based your arguments vastly vastly outweighed your simple "hey, might want to be careful about it." If you're not arguing that a system that isn't completely perfect shouldn't be attempted, then you are arguing that I'm too simple to see potential problems in the one I've devised. Either way, you are, as everywhere else in this thread, quite off base.
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[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I was Dubsy on the Old Forums. I am still @Dubsy in-game. Also, lol.
I think the best way to go about this is the spread of information. I have a similar thing that occurred to me not long ago...
A person I know (Actually a roleplayer) offered to buy a costume piece from me for what I think was a good deal (Valarian Scarlet tights). I sold them to her for 250 Global because she was a Silver AT and I try to hook people up when I can (Considering the lack of items in game that I have an interest in, and can buy with Globals, I do this often).
I initiated trade, and afterwards, she said that she didn't have the item. I told her I placed it in the trade box, and it was not in my inventory. I offered to show her a screen cap of all my inventory bags open, and refunded her money. I apologized and sent up a ticket.
I went anonymous about a half hour later, and I was scooting around shooting holes in faces in Vibora Bay for drops (because nothing says superhero like killing a group of people in large numbers to get one of their shirts). I look at my friends list and she is in Vibora Bay. I scoot around and find her in minefield... wearing the item that didn't make it into her inventory.
My first reaction was 'Oh, hey, you got the [costume piece]! Not a total loss!'. She removed me from her friends list, logged out, and the next time she logged in I was on ignore.
I considered reporting this to CORP or some of the circles I run with, but in the end- I don't know what it will do. I haven't seen the player on in some time or heard anything from her (she was pretty active and RP'd with several people I RP with).
Maybe it's the way I was brought up. Even 'nontangible goods' in video games are 'things' and I don't take from people or scam folks, and I can't even imagine the mindset that would steal something that you aren't in dire need of (medicine, food, water).
Had I to do it all over again, I would have put their name out there. I advise against using zone for this, as some of the 'scammers' have been known to band together and chat ban people warning others (or so I hear, I can confirm nor deny based on my personal experience).
As a general rule, anything 'out in the wild' is risky. I sell to friends or on the AH.
One person using multiple accounts is not multiple unique sources. It is a single source attempting to appear like multiple unique sources, and frankly, they're quite obvious when they do this. You are talking about the way that someone can abuse a mechanism. There is no button to push to for the average user to achieve a mechanically guaranteed effect in /shame.
Convincing a machine or program that you are something other than what you are is a comparatively simple process, especially when you know the rules the machine uses to determine that. I grant you that social engineering is bound to succeed against some members (which is how people manage to pull scams in the first place), but you are presenting a false equivalency. And in any case, as always, if you are absolutely convinced that the approach has no merit, you are welcome to not participate.
And yet you facilitate the tarnishing of someone's reputation without evidence. I find that deplorable.
It's not false equivalency, you're underestimating or ignoring the power of griefers in large numbers. I've seen it in operation.
First off, I'm more than capable of extinguishing your "heat." If I laid down and let you condescend to me without a contrary word, then I'd agree, but again, here, you are not correct. I am not your child or your dog.
*morphs into a dog*
Bark Bark Bark! :biggrin:
(This done in the way they do it in this sardonic comedy of this song from ruckasworld.com, which is about racism which isn't actually funny but this song makes fun of it) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USxmLCX-uiQ
Then you went on to draw comparisons where none existed, and the volume of pseudo-intellectual babble upon which you based your arguments vastly vastly outweighed your simple "hey, might want to be careful about it." If you're not arguing that a system that isn't completely perfect shouldn't be attempted, then you are arguing that I'm too simple to see potential problems in the one I've devised. Either way, you are, as everywhere else in this thread, quite off base.
:rolleyes: Oh please... That's according to how YOU chose to interpret it, 'tis your opinion nothing more.
And by virtue of freedom of speech you are welcome to say what you want. Huzzah!
Comments
I've experienced a similar issue. I'm sorry to hear about your loss. Join chat channel 'shame' and check for any postings about potential scammers before initiating a trade. Your safest bet is to sell the items on the Auction House if at all possible.
"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark
Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
that there is no direct trade window in that game. And exactly this was my answer.
So .. don't wanna get scammed ? Use the AH. Mostly there is a reason when people spam
the channels with stuff instead simply putting it into the AH.
The only thing I'll say about the AH that annoys me is that, let's say you are a new player and find a really valuable item as a drop - you cannot afford the listing fee to post said item on the AH for what its current market value is. I think they should change it so the listing fee is taken from the sale price, instead of as an initial expense.
"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark
Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
Simply put, they have no way of knowing a scam occurred. In fact, your complaint could be a scam. Think of it, you call a buddy up, he makes a Silver account, the two of you set up a "sale" in chat (to make it all look honest), he "steals" your Dark Auras, you file a complaint, he then mails the Auras back to you before (or rather, if) he's banned for scamming. Cryptic refunds your "stolen" Auras, and now you have four...
Look, I KNOW that that's not what happened to you, but those are the types of things that keeps them from acting on scam reports...
They basically have a "Buyer (and Seller) Beware" attitude...
M-O-O-N, that spells @Rhyatt
Originally Posted by mijjestic: Ultimately, though, MMO players throwing stones at each other in this fashion is basically one nerd pointing and laughing at another nerd whose glasses are thicker.
Laws yes!
That has happend due to cries from players. The AH was totally free when i first played CO
but people cried that some are using it as an endless bank and it shouldn't be free.
↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → Ⓑ Ⓐ
Sigh...
Well, it would be nice if the devs implemented a trade system that wasn't so easily abused - something where each party locks in their part of the trade, then another screen is presented where each party has to agree to the trade and neither side can alter what's been listed - only agree to the trade or cancel out of it...
"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark
Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
/agreed to infinity, and beyond...
M-O-O-N, that spells @Rhyatt
Originally Posted by mijjestic: Ultimately, though, MMO players throwing stones at each other in this fashion is basically one nerd pointing and laughing at another nerd whose glasses are thicker.
Laws yes!
That's almost what's already in place. Once you hit Accept, you can't alter. Just make sure you don't hit accept until what you want is in the screen. If the other party alters their end of the trade, it auto-cancels your accept. So if they want what you're giving them, they have to leave what's in their end of the trade in place.
Scams come about when people either agree to do partial trades, trade through mail, trade something that can't be placed in a trade window (such as a zen point card number) or segmented or partial trades (part of the trade now, part of the trade later).
↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → Ⓑ Ⓐ
The problem is, its easy to rush it. The most common mistake is folks simply hitting accept much too fast. They are in a hurry and end up hurting themselves.
But even if the trade window got redesigned, it wouldn't fix everything. Heck, even the AH is fairly well borked right now. And that's as close as anyone can get to scamless system. Bugs can break anything.
The scammers know this. The game is buggy, the AH is on the fritz, this is a perfect storm for them. Folks really just need to be aware of this and take all the caution they can.
This is not entirely true...
There is a slight delay in the system that, if timed right, allows the scammer to hit Cancel right as you click Accept and the scammer will still get your items while you get bupkis...
This is what needs to be fixed...
M-O-O-N, that spells @Rhyatt
Originally Posted by mijjestic: Ultimately, though, MMO players throwing stones at each other in this fashion is basically one nerd pointing and laughing at another nerd whose glasses are thicker.
Laws yes!
Pardon me for being skeptical, but something like that sounds like it'd take only a few tens of milliseconds of precision over a connection with a ping that is often rated well over a hundred milliseconds. So can you demonstrate this feat to me in-game? I'm not the type to repeat information without knowing for certain, and something like this bares repeating.
↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → Ⓑ Ⓐ
yep. (/10 chars)
In order to join and use the channel you can click around in the UI a bit, or just use these case-insensitive command line (chat area) entries:
/channeljoin shame
Joins the channel, allowing you to follow the chat. This applies to your account, and is not character-specific. It also automatically joins you into the channel every time you login, until such time as you leave the channel or are removed from it.
/channelsend shame my message
This is a way of sending text to the channel without having to click to select it from the channels widget. This seems to sporadically take over your regular channel and make shame into your main channel. Since this doesn't always happen, I can't say what is the exact cause.
For both of those commands, just type them into the chat widget, and hit Enter. For the second command, the underlined portion is replaced with your own text, e.g., "/channelsend shame @Dubsy just scammed me out of my mom, I am mad!"
If these commands are hard to remember, just start with "/channel" -- this will bring up a list of autocomplete entries, so your memory should pick up from there.
If you want to see the MotD, which I update periodically with the most recently reported offenders, just click on the chat balloon at the bottom right of the chat widget, then click on Channels. Once the new window opens, mouseover "Shame" in the list, and wait for the tooltip to appear. This explains the channel's purpose, and lists the latest serial offenders. I am not sure what the character limit is for either field, but if the MotD should ever become too small to house all the names, I will take that as a sign of the channel's success, and replace the description with still more names.
I realise that this is not a perfect solution, but my theory when I started the channel was that if someone's name popped up only every once in awhile, they would soon be forgotten as far as being seen as a leech, for example. Let's face it, real life happens. If I queue for a Smash, and then I hear an explosion in the kitchen, I'm going to go make sure everyone is okay. Since I do not make a habit of going AFK at the top of a Smash, should my name ever appear, it should be infrequently enough that it wouldn't have any impact. Additionally, if it is always only one player who is constantly reporting one other player, well. Consider the source.
By the same token, if the same name keeps popping up OVER and OVER and OVER again, for whatever offense, you can probably be fairly certain that that is just how they are. Please bear in mind that if you want to trade with someone you don't know, and they are not listed in the channel as being a known scammer, that does NOT mean they are definitely not a scammer. It just means we have no record of someone with that @handle repeatedly attempting to do this. As always, caveat emptor, and if you do get scammed, please, let Shame know.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I was Dubsy on the Old Forums. I am still @Dubsy in-game. Also, lol.
The problem with this is one of credibility. It's one person's word over another's. If the channel were popular enough, it'd be a cakewalk to use it to discredit an innocent person. Basically, I'm saying that an idea like this is no better than the report spam feature. the more people know about it, the easier it will be to abuse it.
↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → Ⓑ Ⓐ
Since it seems like you are below doing the footwork yourself...
http://co-forum.perfectworld.com/showthread.php?t=141379&highlight=scammed
Sounds like a little longer than "tens of milliseconds" to me, concidering the number of posts there were about it...
:rolleyes:
Edit: Although admittedly I had the function of the scam incorrect in my post...
M-O-O-N, that spells @Rhyatt
Originally Posted by mijjestic: Ultimately, though, MMO players throwing stones at each other in this fashion is basically one nerd pointing and laughing at another nerd whose glasses are thicker.
Laws yes!
For the silver issue, it is regrettable the resource limitation in silvers serves as an excuse for scammers. From my experience trading with silvers, they use becomes as a 200-300g token.
A nice feature would be that we(golds and silvers) could use the hideout bank to pay/receive resources from the market.
I would also reduce the deposit to 1% of the value to foster trade through the market
I've already explained why this is not a problem. It's expressly not one person's word vs. another. I've made clear that nobody should be taking the word of a single player. The point is that if you see the SAME NAME appearing OVER and OVER as being a leech/scammer/whatever, from multiple unique sources, then they likely are. You are, of course, welcome to not participate.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I was Dubsy on the Old Forums. I am still @Dubsy in-game. Also, lol.
Yeah, those scammers usually scam you =P
Exactly. And this is the same thing other game companies have to do to. Whether it be WoW, or TF2, or whatever. You have to be looking out for you, and using a safe method like the AH and close friends you can trust are the only truly safe trade methods.
I have friends in this game I trust enough that I let one of them try something out with a Harmon Catalyst I had. And that's worth WAAAAAY more than any Dark Aura lol!
The AH fee (5% if I recall correctly) makes logical sense if you think about it, yes.
Yep! The auction house is the safe & secure method. You can't get scammed on the AH.
You can overpay for something (subjective; the price could have simply dropped from when you bought it), or have somebody undercut something you're selling (subjective; you may think you're being undercut, but maybe your price was too high and it's you who needs to see it differently, either that or your should buy up the underseller and post it at your desired price to make a profit). But bottom line is you can't get cheated/scammed out of items in a trade that makes use of the AH. One person just gets the item, while the other just gets the gold/resources directly to the inventory of the character that posted it.
Honestly, the people who frequently whine on Zone about the Auction House being too expensive are either too lazy to farm it or scammers themselves with a vested interest. The market has a powerful ability to self-regulate, thus is the wonder of capitalism. Simply put, sellers want to sell and buyers want to buy. Sellers will go as low as necessary to sell, or their stuff simply won't sell. Buyers are always looking for the cheapest price, the best deals. This forces both parties to seek a middle ground. Sometimes all that's left on the AH market is the stuff that hasn't sold because it was above market value, sometimes the market value IS just that high and you can either go and get it yourself or be patient enough to wait for the price to drop (which is what I often do).
tl;dr
Sorry about your bad luck, bigfoot765. You might want to stick to using the AH from now on, this isn't something Cryptic can help you with nor are they responsible for.
Hmm I wonder... would you all benefit from my making a guide on how to get wealthy in this game through via AH? I could create a "how to" guide if there was enough of an audience for it. All of my profits either came from the AH or trades on the "trade" chat channel, and the AH is the majority. The markets I used to almost completely control (when I was online a lot) in Spring of this year more were these:
Shaman Bone Rattle (@ ~3g ea.)
Ritual Blood Knife (@ ~2.5g ea.)
Dragon Power Cores (@ ~2g ea.)
Questionite (@ 7.5g ea.; talking about the original Questionite, before On Alert)
Greater Servitor Serum (I had somebody else who made it, and I'd give him the raw materials to craft with)
Things I have spent this gold on was... well mostly buying up the Nimbus of Force market and lots and lots of DEX Mods (also some CON, Impact Cores, and Gambler's cores).
My biggest mistake was buying a Heroic Breastplate of Agility for 500g when it first came out. That's my fault for being impatient.
I also bought about 1050 Zen for Questionite when it was about 75 to 80 Q per C-Store Point (before it turned into Zen and before the price skyrocketed towards 200 Q per zen).
I guess the moral of the story is you have to be smart. And for the record, I'm very generous to my loyal friends. As I have a collection of over two dozen level 40 Nimbuses of Force, I can afford to give them out as free gifts to friends who have earned my respect if they're truly needing one.
The great thing about gifts among friends you can trust is that what goes around comes around. I might be generous with something they're desperately wanting one day, and then they'll have something I really want on a different day. This is known as "paying it forward", and it gives you that nice warm & fuzzy feeling to know you've helped somebody out.
Consolidate the currencies! (Please!)
Does your Champion have a theme song? (share it!)
Got a funny in-game screenshot? (share it!)
Please fix the Overdrive energy unlock! (Should help promote thematic build diversity!)
"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark
Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
Justice requires evidence, or what will happen as you gain popularity draws the risk of cyberbullying, just like people are currently doing in this game against Costume Contest hosts.
I do know what I'm taking about (from my gaming past):
http://www.battlefieldheroes.com/en/groups/42556
This was an anti-cheat group I created to deal with a SEVERE script-kiddie/hacking issue that started right after EA & Dice Studios starting making the game more pay-to-win, with items. (as in if you didn't spend money and buy heal items and guns, you couldn't keep up)
The pay-to-win and the headache from what felt like always having to deal with cheaters using 3rd party hacking software almost every time I played (because of the matchmaking thing, and I had on of the top ranks in the world for a commando), made the game cease to be fun. Although I tried for a long time to get along with it, eventually it was just something stressing me out and not fun at all. I started playing Minecraft a whole lot instead (and then eventually found Champions Online my friends kind of forced me to play it, I was reluctant at first)
But anyways my point was that in order to justify a ban, there had to be at least conclusive video evidence and/or PBSS's, and that judgement was left up to EA or the private server admins.
Example of what I'm talking about (note that I'm invisible to enemy players who aren't at within arm's reach when "ghosted" like that, and the machine gun he's using is meant for close range and has very high spread, it normally misses most shots at a moderate range. In other words, aimbot + no-spread + wallhack, and obvious):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXZzMPW5ACg
(skip to 10:00 if you're wanting to see how I get him in the end, FTW no less)
Note: This game only has one public server, run by Cryptic. That game had privately rented servers. An important difference in authority, as you are not in charge of other players here and they can't just avoid your server if they don't like how you are running things, you don't have a choice here. What you are doing with the "shame" channel, while good intentioned could be abused for cyber bullying. Granted this will be a minority of cases, but it undermines the good purpose of the effort.
Am I making sense?
Consolidate the currencies! (Please!)
Does your Champion have a theme song? (share it!)
Got a funny in-game screenshot? (share it!)
Please fix the Overdrive energy unlock! (Should help promote thematic build diversity!)
Hmmm how many low lvl players come across some thing of that value and if they do they will be doing content that will quickly make the money to sell it on the AH. They will also have to be gold as silvers have a 250 globals limit and with this in mind I only sell things at a maximum of 250g and I'm still making money.
Of course they can take the risk of selling outside the AH and be scammed like the original poster.
[SIGPIC]http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd175/Fifer71/mandrakesigmark3.jpg[/SIGPIC]
The popular suggestion to use a secondary "checkbox" lockout is a better idea, IMHO. Good luck finding it now though that it's all "archived post"...
This is a stupid fiat currency (not criticizing you here, I'm criticizing it as an illogical choice in general). Become devices don't have a very good resale value typically (Why would a Gold or LTS player want one except for show?) and more importantly, they can't be stacked for storage. Stacking is important if you want to accumulate wealth, for saving. This is ESPECIALLY true for Silvers because your bank slots, AH slots, and inventory space is very limited.
I'd recommend stack-able items that have a good market demand resale value. Mods and Cores are the most logical fiat currency I can think of at this time, particularly CON Mods which are quite stable in price I believe... Stability is impotant if you want to use it as a fiat currency (or if you're really clever / lucky; you invest in something that will go up in price so that when you sell it you gain a profit when you sell it)
Details?
That's too low... My absolute minimum would be 2% or 2.5%. Go any lower and people will start using the AH like a 3rd party bank.
However, I will say that I agree that 5% may need to be lowered, as the market isn't moving as readily as it used to... but then again that could be simply because most new players (as it turns out) don't even know the Auction House EXISTS!!!
Yes really, I've asked many a new player in the game if they know what the Auction House is and they don't. Apparently it was removed from the tutorial or something.
Consolidate the currencies! (Please!)
Does your Champion have a theme song? (share it!)
Got a funny in-game screenshot? (share it!)
Please fix the Overdrive energy unlock! (Should help promote thematic build diversity!)
I agree with you, justice does require evidence. Fortunately, I am not in the business of dispensing justice.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I was Dubsy on the Old Forums. I am still @Dubsy in-game. Also, lol.
Nepht and Dr Deflecto on primus
They all thought I was out of the game....But I'm holding all the lockboxes now..
I'll......FOAM FINGER YOUR BACK!
Again, the report spam option is abused despite the same safeguard... Either people gang up on a person to abuse it, or they use multiple accounts.
↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → Ⓑ Ⓐ
AFAIK the current going price for a level 40 DA is 800'ish
| ME | A "Guide" Book" | | I, have a "DREAM! | ( Member since Feb 2008 ) ... ?
[SIGPIC]http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b132/AngelOfCaine/STILLS/Misc/CO-Sig_01e.png[/SIGPIC]
Not really, chaining smashes doesn't get you much in the way of G.
In the game, I'm @Knickknacks.
It is entirely safe in that YOU get the money from any item YOU sell. And, YOU get the item YOU bought.
However, there is a potential for scamming. Without going into detail, suffice it to say that you can post some items that have absolutely NO value (no, I don't mean it doesn't have monetary value, either). And, I must admit, I have done this on a couple of items, just as a "I can post this? Wow. Who would buy it?" thing.
Maybe that last comment tarnishes me but, most anyone who has ever dealt with me knows, I practically give stuff away. I've had 25 Redeye Lasers drop and GIVEN away 18 of them. Most of the CTP mats were just GIVEN away. Etc.
-=-=-=-=-=-(CO in-game handle: @WarCan )-=-=-=-=-=-
"Okay, you're DEAD, what do you do NEXT?"
One person using multiple accounts is not multiple unique sources. It is a single source attempting to appear like multiple unique sources, and frankly, they're quite obvious when they do this. You are talking about the way that someone can abuse a mechanism. There is no button to push to for the average user to achieve a mechanically guaranteed effect in /shame.
Convincing a machine or program that you are something other than what you are is a comparatively simple process, especially when you know the rules the machine uses to determine that. I grant you that social engineering is bound to succeed against some members (which is how people manage to pull scams in the first place), but you are presenting a false equivalency. And in any case, as always, if you are absolutely convinced that the approach has no merit, you are welcome to not participate.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I was Dubsy on the Old Forums. I am still @Dubsy in-game. Also, lol.
Nope.avi
If it's worth more because it's a limited supply and the market will bear it, then it's worth more.
If DA was say selling consistently for 500g and somebody followed your advice and posted it for half that, at 250g, then guess what? As soon as a smart investor such as myself or any of the others on the trade channel see it, we're going to buy it and resell it for slightly less than 500g. It's simple market economics really, just in a miniature virtual form.
That said I'm not interested in gouging people, as that only hurts your ability to keep selling to the market. My point is there's a balance.
If somebody posts too low below the balance and undercuts your price, that's not a reason to get mad at them. It's a reason rejoice if you've got the gold/resources saved up, because you can now take advantage of their foolishness and profit off it. And for buyers this is also a good thing because it keeps a balance between rarity/exclusivity and cheap prices.
Find the balance, remember that it changes constantly, and have fun! (oh, and remember to be generous to your friends and newbies to the game)
Sorry no...
You are in the business of dispensing justice if you're creating a channel to shame people who have done wrong. Whether born from good or ill will, whether well designed to be fair or poorly designed to be unjust, the fact remains that you are, by definition, exacting justice on the population. Perhaps for the better, but you'd be wise to re-read what I wrote more more closely. (i.e.: appeal system)
QFT. Well said.
No. That's not what I'd qualify as scamming. Scamming is when you agree to a negotiated trade and then don't deliver on what is promised, whether by stealing and not giving anything in return or by giving far less than what is fair.
On the AH you can see all prices and you can simply refuse to buy if it's a crap deal. If it doesn't sell, guess what? It goes back to the one who posted it an they're out 5% of the posted price, resources they're not going to get back because they failed to sell.
The AH will never just take your money and not give you what is shown. You get exactly the item shown and pay exactly the amount shown. That's pretty freaking safe!
Consolidate the currencies! (Please!)
Does your Champion have a theme song? (share it!)
Got a funny in-game screenshot? (share it!)
Please fix the Overdrive energy unlock! (Should help promote thematic build diversity!)
*If* the devs truly investigated this issue, returned stolen items, updated the trade system, improved the AH, and took any other steps to stamp out these sorts of exploitative behaviors, then I'd be more inclined to agree that the Shame channel isn't needed...
"Is it better to be feared or respected? I say, is it too much to ask for both?" -Tony Stark
Official NW_Legit_Community Forums
I'm not even saying it isn't necessary, as I demonstrated in my post with the B.I.U. if you read it and clicked the link...
I'm saying it's a fine line to walk, and there's great potential, even with the best intentions for a good system to become corrupted by power and thus prone to abuse.
Justice is a never ending struggle in the balance of fairness and effectiveness. And yes, I do know what I'm talking about although I'm not going to go into personally identifiable details here, sorry.
I don't know how else to say it. And I'm not trying to be trite with you all, but seriously, re-read what I posted over on the previous page. I'm starting to sound like a broken record to myself here lol
My recommendations:
Consolidate the currencies! (Please!)
Does your Champion have a theme song? (share it!)
Got a funny in-game screenshot? (share it!)
Please fix the Overdrive energy unlock! (Should help promote thematic build diversity!)
Don't hit accept as soon as you see the item placed in the window. Scammers count on that immediate click when the item is placed and that gives them the chance to remove the item (or money) and get your goods. Wait a few seconds and just observe what happens...
A few months ago I was going to buy a Become A Crimson Djinn from a guy for 150 global. I placed my money in the window, the item appeared in the trade box, I waited of few seconds, and suddenly the item disappeared and the sale cancelled. This happened 3 times in a row before I received a PM from the guy say "Don't you want this?". I replied "Not from you..." put him on ignore and flew off...
If someone is legit, they shouldn't mind waiting a few seconds to make a sale/purchase....
M-O-O-N, that spells @Rhyatt
Originally Posted by mijjestic: Ultimately, though, MMO players throwing stones at each other in this fashion is basically one nerd pointing and laughing at another nerd whose glasses are thicker.
Laws yes!
so people sell costume drops for 500g and people actually buy them now I am shocked I would never pay that for a costume I could grind for. I think it is peoples greed that makes them put things in the AH for huge prices (that silvers can't afford) for things they got for free. If they are chaining smashes it's for the exp not the drops.
If silvers can't buy it in the AH because of the high price they will trade outside the safety of the AH and this allows the scam artists to strike.
I sell lots of costume unlocks I get in the AH for 100g or less(never more) this way I'm helping my fellow man and still making a profit of 100g as I got the item for free.
[SIGPIC]http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd175/Fifer71/mandrakesigmark3.jpg[/SIGPIC]
There is no element of a Justice Shoppe in the channel's intent or actual function. There is no appeal system because there is no court, let alone a series of courts with ever-increasing authority. There are no police. There is no sentencing body, and there is nobody to enforce or carry it out even if there were. A neighbourhood watch can effect some change. It may be occasionally negative, but on balance, in my experience, it tends to be more positive.
Please tell me you're not seriously trying to argue that because a solution is not COMPLETELY PERFECT, the proponent of that solution is somehow in error for proceeding anyway.
You are flat-out wrong. Ironically you're demanding that I read and re-read what you wrote, presumably until I agree with you. Sadly, I will not agree with your characterisation of what I'm doing, because it is not accurate. No amount of re-reading your sanctimonious drivel will change that. As always, you are welcome to not participate if you find the channel to be too offensive in principle.
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I was Dubsy on the Old Forums. I am still @Dubsy in-game. Also, lol.
Not only is your system not COMPLETELY PERFECT, it's downright flawed and easy to abuse...
A system based on the number of reports to label someone as a repeat offender in a F2P game, where I can go make 20 accounts right now, all of which proclaim "Dubsy ripped me off!", is pretty much next to useless...
Sorry. Good intent; severely flawed execution...
M-O-O-N, that spells @Rhyatt
Originally Posted by mijjestic: Ultimately, though, MMO players throwing stones at each other in this fashion is basically one nerd pointing and laughing at another nerd whose glasses are thicker.
Laws yes!
Your assumptions at what I was trying to get across with "are you seriously suggesting" isn't what I was saying at all either (no system is perfectly flawless, no duh). For the last time, I'm not disagreeing with your goal, I'm just trying to get you to open your mind a bit to understanding the potential problems or risks involved with such an undertaking. I feel the underlying message I'm trying to get across to you is being ignored (although I'm honestly trying my best to communicate). This isn't me being sanctimonious at all, or wrong with my insights. I'm cautioning you. Such a system is prone to risks such as corruption or cyber-bullying abuse. That's it.
Am I not making sense?
If you still don't understand my point, then I give up out of unnecessary frustration this is causing me.
Consolidate the currencies! (Please!)
Does your Champion have a theme song? (share it!)
Got a funny in-game screenshot? (share it!)
Please fix the Overdrive energy unlock! (Should help promote thematic build diversity!)
Which, as mentioned earlier, is extremely easy to spot. If somebody can't see it, then they can't see it, and I'm not really interested in troubling myself about it.
First off, I'm more than capable of extinguishing your "heat." If I laid down and let you condescend to me without a contrary word, then I'd agree, but again, here, you are not correct. I am not your child or your dog.
Your intent may have been to caution, and I grant you that your first sentence or two stated exactly that. Then you went on to draw comparisons where none existed, and the volume of pseudo-intellectual babble upon which you based your arguments vastly vastly outweighed your simple "hey, might want to be careful about it." If you're not arguing that a system that isn't completely perfect shouldn't be attempted, then you are arguing that I'm too simple to see potential problems in the one I've devised. Either way, you are, as everywhere else in this thread, quite off base.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
I was Dubsy on the Old Forums. I am still @Dubsy in-game. Also, lol.
A person I know (Actually a roleplayer) offered to buy a costume piece from me for what I think was a good deal (Valarian Scarlet tights). I sold them to her for 250 Global because she was a Silver AT and I try to hook people up when I can (Considering the lack of items in game that I have an interest in, and can buy with Globals, I do this often).
I initiated trade, and afterwards, she said that she didn't have the item. I told her I placed it in the trade box, and it was not in my inventory. I offered to show her a screen cap of all my inventory bags open, and refunded her money. I apologized and sent up a ticket.
I went anonymous about a half hour later, and I was scooting around shooting holes in faces in Vibora Bay for drops (because nothing says superhero like killing a group of people in large numbers to get one of their shirts). I look at my friends list and she is in Vibora Bay. I scoot around and find her in minefield... wearing the item that didn't make it into her inventory.
My first reaction was 'Oh, hey, you got the [costume piece]! Not a total loss!'. She removed me from her friends list, logged out, and the next time she logged in I was on ignore.
I considered reporting this to CORP or some of the circles I run with, but in the end- I don't know what it will do. I haven't seen the player on in some time or heard anything from her (she was pretty active and RP'd with several people I RP with).
Maybe it's the way I was brought up. Even 'nontangible goods' in video games are 'things' and I don't take from people or scam folks, and I can't even imagine the mindset that would steal something that you aren't in dire need of (medicine, food, water).
Had I to do it all over again, I would have put their name out there. I advise against using zone for this, as some of the 'scammers' have been known to band together and chat ban people warning others (or so I hear, I can confirm nor deny based on my personal experience).
As a general rule, anything 'out in the wild' is risky. I sell to friends or on the AH.
And yet you facilitate the tarnishing of someone's reputation without evidence. I find that deplorable.
It's not false equivalency, you're underestimating or ignoring the power of griefers in large numbers. I've seen it in operation.
↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → Ⓑ Ⓐ
*morphs into a dog*
Bark Bark Bark! :biggrin:
(This done in the way they do it in this sardonic comedy of this song from ruckasworld.com, which is about racism which isn't actually funny but this song makes fun of it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USxmLCX-uiQ
PS: You don't want the heat I'm packing. For realz. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1FZDZ6tHgc
Uh oh, wait for it...
:rolleyes: Oh please... That's according to how YOU chose to interpret it, 'tis your opinion nothing more.
And by virtue of freedom of speech you are welcome to say what you want. Huzzah!
Live long and prosper, think as you will then.
Not trying to downplay your personal experience story, but this is short & sweet advice I can agree with that I feel bears repeating. In short, QFT.
Consolidate the currencies! (Please!)
Does your Champion have a theme song? (share it!)
Got a funny in-game screenshot? (share it!)
Please fix the Overdrive energy unlock! (Should help promote thematic build diversity!)