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Cheaters/Botters/Exploiters Ruin Games
cantankerousmage
Member Posts: 210 Arc User
Cheaters: I never liked to cheat at games, even when I was a kid. How fun is it to play a game as simple as Monopoly if someone is cheating? Grabbing money from the bank when no one else is looking for example? Putting game money in their pocket before the game starts? Not fun at all for the other players. When the cheater is caught, no one wants to keep playing. I wouldn't. Start over or don't play with that person. (And forming a monopoly is actually a form of cheating in the real world by the way.)
Botters: Because of them, we don't get to earn Astral Diamonds from Leadership anymore. I didn't start doing professions until after that change was made, so I was never able to get diamonds from leadership. I understand why, no way to stop the botters there without totally shutting down Sword Coast Adventures and the Neverwinter Gateway. Or removing professions from the Gateway altogether. However, I don't like that experience gained from Leadership tasks was not raised afterward (at least I don't think it was). It takes longer to level Leadership than any other profession in the game. I know, I have every other profession at max rank. It would be a lot kinder if people who don't use bots, like me (and I never will), had an easier time leveling Leadership now. Also, I believe the reason Mount Insignias are bound to character (not bound to account or even bind on equip) is because of the botters at skill nodes.
Exploiters: People who exploit bugs are gaining an unfair advantage. Unless everyone else in the game is doing it, that person now has greater power or income than others who don't know about the bug or choose to exploit it (wealth is actually a form of power, similar to knowledge being a form of power). And bug exploitation is unethical in the first place. Something in the game is not working as intended, the bug needs to be reported so the designers can fix it as soon as possible.
Game Testers: If just any player is allowed to test a game (without filling out an application, being interviewed, paid for their work), especially if players are asked to pay real money to test a game, some may be less likely to report each and every bug and exploit they discover. This, of course, would depend on the player. Not everyone in the world is ethical or moral. Actually, many people are not. Some people might even choose to test a game just for the purpose of finding exploits they can use after the game is released. Of course, this is assuming that person or group of people, with that mindset, is or are the only one or group who discover the certain bug/exploit. This is less likely to happen if the group of player testers is large enough, but it is still possible no matter how many are testing. You have to understand the criminal mind. Some people are always looking for a way to gain an unfair advantage over everything or everyone or both. They want things to be as easy for them as possible. They don't care about challenge or fair competition, they just want to succeed or win at all costs. They have unhealthy minds. This is an important reason why people complaining and asking for things to be easier in a game should not be listened to most of the time. You don't know what their true motivations are. If something has been tested thoroughly and adequately in a game, and you know it's possible and not too monstrously difficult or time-consuming, regardless of the specific difficulty level for that specific part of the game, then you shouldn't listen to those people. Though it should be said, and remembered, that FRUSTRATION DOES NOT EQUAL DIFFICULTY. They are two entirely different things.
If I was running a game, I would actually pay people in some way to test my game. Doesn't have to be with real money, could be with in-game items. (Though I wouldn't want to give them anything that provides them with an unfair advantage over other players in the game. In Neverwinter, possibly mounts (unless they are able to be used in pvp), but definitely fashion items, and free appearance changes could be used.) But they would earn these items by reporting a bug or exploit. The first person to report something would be rewarded. I would like to give five to ten people a reward for reporting the same thing (on the same day, within a few hours of each other), but the way the world works, information can be spread way too quickly to trust that someone didn't learn it from somebody else. And I really think that allowing people to buy items with real money (in a cash shop or otherwise) that give them an advantage over other players is the best and fastest way to ruin pvp in a game. For example, Arche Age allowing people to buy the right to claim land first was really stupid and greedy. Things like that need to be earned in game only, by knowledge, skill/ability, time, and effort.
**Actually, since people seem to be able to use bots at skill nodes in-game, I don't think there was any way to stop botters from exploiting the former method of being able to earn Astral Diamonds through Leadership without removing Astral Diamond rewards from Leadership altogether.
Botters: Because of them, we don't get to earn Astral Diamonds from Leadership anymore. I didn't start doing professions until after that change was made, so I was never able to get diamonds from leadership. I understand why, no way to stop the botters there without totally shutting down Sword Coast Adventures and the Neverwinter Gateway. Or removing professions from the Gateway altogether. However, I don't like that experience gained from Leadership tasks was not raised afterward (at least I don't think it was). It takes longer to level Leadership than any other profession in the game. I know, I have every other profession at max rank. It would be a lot kinder if people who don't use bots, like me (and I never will), had an easier time leveling Leadership now. Also, I believe the reason Mount Insignias are bound to character (not bound to account or even bind on equip) is because of the botters at skill nodes.
Exploiters: People who exploit bugs are gaining an unfair advantage. Unless everyone else in the game is doing it, that person now has greater power or income than others who don't know about the bug or choose to exploit it (wealth is actually a form of power, similar to knowledge being a form of power). And bug exploitation is unethical in the first place. Something in the game is not working as intended, the bug needs to be reported so the designers can fix it as soon as possible.
Game Testers: If just any player is allowed to test a game (without filling out an application, being interviewed, paid for their work), especially if players are asked to pay real money to test a game, some may be less likely to report each and every bug and exploit they discover. This, of course, would depend on the player. Not everyone in the world is ethical or moral. Actually, many people are not. Some people might even choose to test a game just for the purpose of finding exploits they can use after the game is released. Of course, this is assuming that person or group of people, with that mindset, is or are the only one or group who discover the certain bug/exploit. This is less likely to happen if the group of player testers is large enough, but it is still possible no matter how many are testing. You have to understand the criminal mind. Some people are always looking for a way to gain an unfair advantage over everything or everyone or both. They want things to be as easy for them as possible. They don't care about challenge or fair competition, they just want to succeed or win at all costs. They have unhealthy minds. This is an important reason why people complaining and asking for things to be easier in a game should not be listened to most of the time. You don't know what their true motivations are. If something has been tested thoroughly and adequately in a game, and you know it's possible and not too monstrously difficult or time-consuming, regardless of the specific difficulty level for that specific part of the game, then you shouldn't listen to those people. Though it should be said, and remembered, that FRUSTRATION DOES NOT EQUAL DIFFICULTY. They are two entirely different things.
If I was running a game, I would actually pay people in some way to test my game. Doesn't have to be with real money, could be with in-game items. (Though I wouldn't want to give them anything that provides them with an unfair advantage over other players in the game. In Neverwinter, possibly mounts (unless they are able to be used in pvp), but definitely fashion items, and free appearance changes could be used.) But they would earn these items by reporting a bug or exploit. The first person to report something would be rewarded. I would like to give five to ten people a reward for reporting the same thing (on the same day, within a few hours of each other), but the way the world works, information can be spread way too quickly to trust that someone didn't learn it from somebody else. And I really think that allowing people to buy items with real money (in a cash shop or otherwise) that give them an advantage over other players is the best and fastest way to ruin pvp in a game. For example, Arche Age allowing people to buy the right to claim land first was really stupid and greedy. Things like that need to be earned in game only, by knowledge, skill/ability, time, and effort.
**Actually, since people seem to be able to use bots at skill nodes in-game, I don't think there was any way to stop botters from exploiting the former method of being able to earn Astral Diamonds through Leadership without removing Astral Diamond rewards from Leadership altogether.
Post edited by cantankerousmage on
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Comments
No more bots....
I could explain why, even cite examples. But talking about such things on the forum are not allowed.
Cheaters: Who cheats whom here? Aside from some ppl proposing trades and exploiting some guilable ppl, I never heard of cheating.
Botters: Well, I dont like the fact, that they exist and they should get banned, IMO. Many MMORPGs have a grip on this problem. In this game refining and AD costs are/were adjusted to the fact, that there were/ are bots.
BTW leadership was not a problem of botters, but of bad game design. Early in beta a friend of mine told me, that a LS army is the best way to make ADs, if you want to take the time for it, I did not. Everyone and his mom knew, that the best way to get AD (exept exploits) was leadership, years before they changed it. There were guides here, how to build an LS army. The Mods gave advice, how to do it, but sure, everyone who had more brain, than the Devs and used the game mechanics WAI was an exploiter and cheater, after cryptic said so. It was THEIR fault and THEIR lack of understanding of their own game mechanics, that led to this problem. Sure, thousands of players knew the LS AD feat, used it, talked about it, but dont blame the DEVs for implementing it or not correcting it, lets say 2 years before they did.
Exploiters: Again, dont like it, dont do it, but there are two tiny problems. One is the fact, that known and reported problems are ignored. Read the preview feedback posts and remember every single bug/exploit in each release. If the mechanic was implemented and players tested it, they reported it and Devs ignored it, you will see. Furthermore, what is WAI, what is an exploit? Ppl claim, that I am an exploiter, bc I use old lvl 60 sets. They work WAI, the machanic was implemented by the Devs, they were not changed, but now, somehow, I am an exploiter for using the same set as before. Same goes for LM set and so on. Sure, there are some heavy duty bugs, things everyone knew, that it was not WAI, but most of the times it is not black or white, but gray.
Game testers: Ppl test things on preview, there are even alpha testers. They report bugs, some get fixed, some are ignored. You are talking about unfair advantage for testers? Test things yourself or just read preview player feedback/ bug reports. You will know most of the new 'feats' before the new Mod gets life. They dont need more testers, but more staff to fix these bugs.
Keep in mind, that players play for fun and cryptic gets paid for the things they do. They control the game, its mechanics etc. I dont blame ppl who play a game WAI for maximum impact, but game designers, that dont hear a bomb even if it hits their feet.