When Good People Go Bad - Vol. 2
THE BANNENNING!!!Oh, shut up. I can make up words if I want to.
Don't be so melochromatic.
See? Making up words is fun.
Anyway, as if to add emphasis to this week's theme, it seems the higher ups decided to bring the hammer down on some bad, bad people.
3,300 people woke up this morning, tried to log in, and found their precious accounts were now so much digital ruin. Everything they had worked for and spent time on had been blinked out of existance.
Isn't it beautiful?
Now, you're probably asking yourself what this has to do with good people.
Even though it is blatantly clear that third party software is a violation of the ToS, not everyone who uses these programs is a bad person.
Some of them are quite intelligent, quite rational people, I'm sure. They no doubt have only the best of intentions when they use such programs.
You're only using windower so that you can continue your cancer research.
You're only using FleeTool so you can devote more time to your children.
You're only using an AH bot because...
Well... Because you're an asshole.
Despite these noble reasons, the subject comes down to one simple fact.
IT'S STILL ILLEGAL, YOU RETARDS!!!
There is something about third party software that just turns intelligent, thinking people into idiots.
You know better than yo use them.
You know it's wrong.
And yet, you use them because you know that it doesn't count for you because you're not using them "in a bad way".
I can't tell you the number of times a player, who seemed completely normal, ended up using illegal software for some idiotic reason.
Let's do a little reasoning, okay?
You're playing a game. You like playing the game. The game is fun.
You want to have the best character possible. You like your character.
In order to make your character better, you use programs that you know can get your character taken away from you.
That doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense now, does it?
Player>> Hey! I've got umpteen billion gil!
Player>> Hey! I'm awesome!
Player>> Hey! I'm in Mordion Gaol!
Player>> Hey! I'm banned!
Player>> ... Crap.
There is not a single player in this game who can honestly try to plead ignorance on the facts. You can't go to any serious FFXI forum and not get assailed with posts about how wrong it is to use bots and third party software.
This is not news!
You know it's wrong. You can rationalize it all you want, but in the back of your mind, you know you shouldn't be using those programs.
Well, guess what? 3,300 people today found out that their rationalization ain't worth shit.
Let me tell you about one guy today. He was actually a pretty good guy. I had partied with him before and he seemed to be a fairly intelligent guy.
And yet, there he was on the list. Apparently, in between bouts of intelligence, he likes to use FleeTool.
I would have been shocked if I still had any faith in humanity.
He was still playing when the list of bannings came down. Rather than simply banning his account, I unfortunately had to speak with him face to face on the matter.
Who am I kidding? I love doing that.
To start things off on the right note, I warped him directly to Mordion Gaol.
[GM]Dave>> Hail, Adventurer.
[GM]Dave>> I've got some good news and some bad news.
Player>> What's the bad news?
[GM]Dave>> You're getting banned.
Player>> WHAT?!
Player>> HELL NO!
Player>> What's the good news?
[GM]Dave>> Did I say good news?
[GM]Dave>> I meant bad news.
[GM]Dave>> I've got some bad news and some bad news.
Player>> You can't ban me.
Player>> You can't!
[GM]Dave>> Listen... I don't like it any more than you do.
[GM]Dave>> Wait... That's not true.
[GM]Dave>> It doesn't really bother me either way.
[GM]Dave>> I don't care about it any more than you do.
Player>> But I didn't do anything wrong!
[GM]Dave>> I beg to differ.
[GM]Dave>> You were caught using FleeTool to move faster.
Player>> But that doesn't count!
[GM]Dave>> ...
[GM]Dave>> Oh, this is going to be good.
[GM]Dave>> How does that not count?
Player>> I didn't use it to cheat.
Player>> I was just running from place to place.
[GM]Dave>> Can you define the word ' cheat' for me?
Player>> That means breaking the rules.
[GM]Dave>> Uh huh.
[GM]Dave>> Is there a rule about using other programs like FleeTool?
Player>> Yeah.
[GM]Dave>> What does it say?
Player>> That they're not allowed.
[GM]Dave>> So, it's a rule that they're not allowed.
Player>> Yeah.
Player>> I suppose so.
[GM]Dave>> Did you use FleeTool?
Player>> Yeah.
[GM]Dave>> ...
[GM]Dave>> How are you not putting this together in your head?
[GM]Dave>> Were you dropped as a child?
Player>> But that's not cheating!
Player>> I didn't cheat!
[GM]Dave>> You broke a rule.
[GM]Dave>> That's the definition of cheating.
Player>> It's different.
Player>> I didn't use it to do anything bad.
[GM]Dave>> Well, there was your first mistake.
[GM]Dave>> You're getting banned anyway.
[GM]Dave>> You should at least have had some fun doing it.
Player>> I'm not a cheater.
[GM]Dave>> My friend, Mr. Dictionary, disagrees with you.
[GM]Dave>> Hold on... Wait...
[GM]Dave>> He also says you're retarded.
Player>> This is ridiculous!
Player>> Can't you just punish me or something?
[GM]Dave>> I think the banning does that nicely.
Player>> No. Some other punishment.
[GM]Dave>> Oh...
[GM]Dave>> I suppose we could do that.
*warp*
I warped him to Lower Jeuno in front of the auction house.
What is this? Is [GM]Dave getting soft?
You should know better than that.
Player>> Okay, what's my punishment?
[GM]Dave>> Already taken care of.
Player>> Really?!
Player>> What was it?
[GM]Dave>> You'll see.
[GM]Dave>> Go ahead. You can go.
He was no doubt laughing to himself as he ran away.
Well... Walked away.
Actually... He was barely moving.
Player>> What's going on?!
[GM]Dave>> I thought the punishment should fit the crime.
[GM]Dave>> So I lowered your movement speed.
Player>> Lowered it how much?
[GM]Dave>> You probably don't want to know.
[GM]Dave>> By the way, you should probably hurry.
[GM]Dave>> At this rate you'll make it to the moghouses in about a week.
Player>> This'll make it impossible to play.
[GM]Dave>> Oh... About that...
[GM]Dave>> I've got some good news and some bad news...
Guys, no matter what you think, no matter how you slice it, it all comes out the same.
It's wrong.
I'm sure you're all good people. I'm sure you're all special flowers in the garden of life.
That doesn't really mean anything to me.
We just banned 3,300 special flowers. One more isn't going to kill us.
posted by Goblin Smithy @ 7:30 PM
17 Comments:
Good ol' GM Dave justice! :D
Good work GM's. And I'm sure that these bannings also got some Gil Sellers and other annoying anti-intelligent acts of stupidity.
That's precisely the case, Kale. Due to the simultaneous running of FFXI on Xbox-360, PS2, and PC, SE tries to "level the playing field" by forcing the PC version into full-screen mode. If you lose focus on FFXI for whatever reason (AIM popup, ctrl-alt-del, alt-tab, whatever) the game crashes. Windower at its core addresses that issue. Of course, it has since come bundled with other plugins like Tparty (tracks TP and MP of party and alliance members), BloodPace (tracks recast timers on BPs, I think), and others. Most if not all are purely client-side changes of the sort you'd find with WoW interface mods, but they are still technically third-party software, as is the Windower itself, and thus against the ToS. There are many and varied reasons for using the program, but it is still technically illegal. However, from what I've seen it's the Vana'diel equivalent of driving 75 in a 70 zone.
I can understand why some folks would use 3rd Party stuff. Vana'diel can be a cruel, cruel world. But you gotta respect the ToS. They're there for a reason.
I have /never/ heard of anyone getting banned for using the Windower. I think SE realizes that a) it's harmless as third-party tools go and b) that anywhere from 50-75% of players use it, and most of those who don't have no need due to a second box/laptop.
See? told you guys, high on ban fumes. If SE keeps this up, Dave will be in real danger of starting to like his bosses. They've been uping the quantity and frequency of these mass bannings. If you check out the forums on the major sites, you'll see people have discovered the developer's blog for FFXI. There are indications that SE is forming a group of developers/techs who's sole purpose is to track down and ban RMT and cheaters. SE'll have some digital SWAT/Ninja team to enforce it's ToS. I can just see [GM]Dave sending them a case of his favorite whisky for chrismass once they start sending him ban-lists on a regular basis.
I just want to know how i can type in bold when i speak to a GM itg. My two most recent experiences speaking with them had me fuming, but no direct way to show my frustration...
But i agree. If i were to get banned for using Windower, that's when i start playing another game.
Wow. This is really great
TigerWolf said...
Hate to tell you retards, third party software is NOT illegal. Sure it's violation of the ToS but a game's ToS and EULA are not binding in a court of law.
So? You don't have any rights in a MMO except for what is grated by the owner of the game. Period. Nothing is argued in a court of law.
TigerWolf said...
If you want to get technical, FFXI violates some of the Windows EULA, which specifies that programs are not allowed to override the windows key/alt+tab features of windows.
Uhm no it don't. EULA means End User License Agreement. It is something for the User to agree to. Not the programs run on it.
Just because something goes against the ToS, that does not mean it is cheating except in the simple fact that it is violating a rule. Unlike many plug-ins, etc, Windower simply allows a PC user to use one of their system's key features, multi-tasking. Personally, I'm quite fed up with the idea that my system has to dedicate itself 100% to a game such as this.
So they want to even the playing field huh? Would make sense except, apparently they haven't considered the large number of console gamers that would have a computer available, nearby or not. Besides it is entirely unfair to think that a player would use multi-tasking only for a game play advantage. Perhaps if it were a fast paced shoort or something similar I would not even consider it an issue, but the fact of the matter is, FFXI is an MMO and a game of which can have a lot of down time for one reason or another. It's my PC and I shouldn't be told how I can or can not use it.
Yeah, I really don't believe it is to be chating when I want to take some time to cheak a few other things online, change some music, chat with someone real quick, etc. whilst playing any MMO whatsoever.
Now for those who use bots, etc? Fuck 'em, I don't think anyone would miss them =P
Sigh...
For some reason I don't understand, the blog won't let me publish tonight's update.
It's done and I hit publish, but it sticks at 0% and doesn't change.
If anyone reads this, the update will be posted just as soon as I figure this out.
-[GM]Dave
Look Im to lazy to put more on my computer then I have so I don't have windower. But just because it's agsint the TOS dosen't mean it's a cheat, it just means your breaking a rule.
Now that inst to say you can't go window mode to use 3rd party shit to cheat but either way there are some who will cheat one way or another.
Ok, a lot of the omgwtfwindowerusersgotohell people seem to be under some sort of misunderstanding... things like FleeTool, FFXIAssist, WarpTool or whatever the hell it was, are entirely seperate from Windower (at least the version of it I've seen). They don't come bundled with it. They aren't even related that I know of.
And you also seem to be mixing two different kinds of third party programs.
1) Programs that are purely client-side and do not effect your in-game behavior at all, such as Windower (and I think FFXIAssist, although I don't really know what all that does).
2) Programs that alter your character's behavior in ways that break the rules of the in-game world. FleeTool, WarpTool, etc.
If you think these are the same in degree of "cheating", I expect to see you turning in your Driver's License to be revoked next time you go one mile per hour over the speed limit.
I won't argue that Windower is "allowed", since it's explicitly against the ToS. I will argue that it has absolutely zero in-game affect. It doesn't change stats, doesn't change mobs, doesn't change ANYTHING. Even the somewhat more egregious TParty doesn't actually change anything within the game itself. It makes information that you could easily get by other means automatically available on the client computer. Absolutely ZERO impact on other people.
Now, if you want to flame the people using the second class of programs, go right ahead. I'll be there with you.
The difference? One changes the game and effects other people, one doesn't. If you can't tell the difference, then perhaps /you/ are the one who needs the help.
And for all the people shouting the SE targets Windower... have you ever seen them release an announcement regarding it specifically? I remember one for the WarpTool, haven't seen one for Windower. Changes to their internal code during an update messing with programs expecting a very specific version of that code /does not/ equate to intentionally breaking the other program. They certainly aren't going out of their way to keep it running, but I haven't seen any indication that they are intentionally aiming to break it.
If you mean those cheats come in the form of programs you have to start after FFXI is loaded, thus requiring a form of Windower in order to alt-tab, then fine. I suppose if you look at it that way Windower becomes some sort of "gateway drug" for the hackers of the world. 'Course, that makes about as much sense as saying owning a baseball bat is one step away from Assault with a Deadly Weapon.
I've never so much as looked for FleeTool or whatever, so I can't say much about how to actually use them. No interest in learning how to, either. But just because Windower is required does not mean that Windower or the people who make it are doing it for the express purpose of making game-breaking programs like FleeTool usable (although they certainly are doing it to make things against the ToS possible, like alt-tabbing or screenshots... which I suppose makes Fraps "cheating" too, doesn't it?).
And you're going to have to do better than "half-informed bullshit" if you want to actually get your point across. Proving me wrong is generally a good place to start.
If you want to get technical, FFXI violates some of the Windows EULA, which specifies that programs are not allowed to override the windows key/alt+tab features of windows.
Um, sorry but it doesn't. You can alt-tab just fine or alt escape just fine in FFXI. The problem is that FFXI then kills your connection to the server because it's lost full screen mode. So it isn't actualy violating the windows certif thingy on how programs are supposed to behave. It's just got some nasty behaviour from a human interface point of view. Not from a windows point of view.
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And this is why I play World of Warcraft even though it's a worse game. I'd never use speed hax or bots or anything else that affected actual game play, but if the game's user interface is stupid enough that it won't let me play in windowed mode/move my portrait around the screen/open my mail with less than four mouse clicks I refuse to believe I'm a bad person for telling the developers they are idiots and downloading a mod that changes the look and feel of the user interface. These don't give me an advantage over other players unless not being incredibly f'king frustrated is an advantage. Okay, they give me a huge advantage over other people, in that I'm not so bored out of my mind that I throw my computer through the window, but I'd think the company would be happy about that because I'm still playing and the bored, frustrated player probably isn't.
Didn't they actually have an update so you could play your game windowed or full screen?
Been a while. Either way I used a windower. Funny the one time I bumped into a GM we had a chat about. He was like we don't ban people for windower, hell I use a windower. Made me LOL.
The fact that the game coudln't be windowed was a huge flaw. Wonder if they made the same mistake with XII?
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