corporate abuse - protection policy for gamers?

[dark_agenda]

I asked myself this question today:

What kind of steps should be taken to keep the legitimacy of a game by the production team and parent company?

I am an offline pso-er only, so I can not make much fuss about the kind of shape the online mode is in. But I was there for pso ep1. on the dreamcast, and I remember how bad it was. You could walk into a game and see literally hundreds of elite rares on the ground. Trying to play the game was somewhat of a hassle what with the FSOD and BSOD. I'm fairly certain that it is safe for me to assume that the online world for the GC and even the XBox are the same as they were for the DC. Both in a wretched state of lawlessness.

This, however, is not the point of this topic. What I want to get at is how far should a company go to protect the integrity of their own games. The people making these games are out for one thing, to try to create a product that people will enjoy, spend lots of money on, and continue playing it even if they need to buy an entirely different console *cough* *cough* pso, ahem. At any rate, I feel that ST and any other company that has created an online game of any type should use all the power and muscle that their corporate embodiment can muster to keep the game fun, fair and balanced.

Most games are not meant to be cheated at, it happens when players become bored with what is offered and must find alternate methods for enjoying the once highlight of their day. I think companies should do a better job at enforcing the integrity of the games they make. I am curious to see what many of you think on this topic, so please come out with your opinions on what you think should be done. If not for current games, but for future.

[primer567]

Most games are not meant to be cheated at, it happens when players become bored with what is offered and must find alternate methods for enjoying the once highlight of their day. I think companies should do a better job at enforcing the integrity of the games they make.

Not all cheaters actually played PSO and got bored with it, some cheated from the start. Also, there is really nothing ST can do there are plenty of people out there that know how to program just as well as ST employees so I never see cheats ever going away.

[BogusKun]

I am an offline pso-er only

Mmmkay. Well it's really hard to be concerend about OUR ONLINE community. Seeing that ummm... you're not online... yet.

[dark_agenda]

Just because I do not have a modem for my cube does not mean I don't play games like ooooh say Diablo 2, Everquest to name a few. I know how online communities become corrupted, it happened with D2... and oddly enough, it has most of the same characteristics as PSO-DC had..... hmm.....

Edit: Also, do not flame me because I do not play PSO online... I'm concerned about the status of every MMO capable game, not just this one.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: dark_agenda on 2003-11-19 18:30 ]</font>

[Superguppie]

I think the integrity question is quite a good one. In the manual and on the webpage you can get an idea of what the company is offering. If what is actualy there is something different because the company fails to enforce the rules that should keep the online product in a state that corresponds with what is offered, the company is at fault. (I pay them every month for a month of product. I do so only because I want the product on offer)
In this it has to be considered what can be reasonably expected of the company. It's not realistic to expect an online system to be completely hacker-proof. But banning ppl who are caught ruining the product is imho reasonable. (Even if it costs money.) And I think it is also reasonable to expect the company to actively look for perpetrators.

As for the offline game. The product is provided 'as is', meaning you can do with it what you want, with the company under no obligation...

[tank1]

the only way u would stop dupers and hackers is to ban them permanetly.But even then st would be shooting themselves in the foot because they would be loosing customers and i think ultimately sega cares more about money than our happiness.

[Superguppie]

On 2003-11-20 05:04, tank1 wrote:
the only way u would stop dupers and hackers is to ban them permanetly.But even then st would be shooting themselves in the foot because they would be loosing customers and i think ultimately sega cares more about money than our happiness.

Not necessarily. I have played with several ppl that have quit because the hatred of cheating got the better of them. Who knows how many ppl would NOT have quit if the worst of the lot had been banned.
Ofcourse there's no telling, as we never hear from them anymore...

[BogusKun]

On 2003-11-19 17:44, dark_agenda wrote:
Just because I do not have a modem for my cube does not mean I don't play games like ooooh say Diablo 2, Everquest to name a few. I know how online communities become corrupted, it happened with D2... and oddly enough, it has most of the same characteristics as PSO-DC had..... hmm.....

Edit: Also, do not flame me because I do not play PSO online... I'm concerned about the status of every MMO capable game, not just this one.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: dark_agenda on 2003-11-19 18:30 ]</font>

Not quite, first off this is PSOGC... Not DC or Everqu33r or Dia BLOWs... This is a totaly different game with different meaning and/or status in the "ABUSEMENT" park. The same abuse DC ver suffered has not found it's way into PSOGC. Typically because the General Public DOES NOT... use cheating devices or such. They only say what they want to do... and then do one or two things

1. Lie about it

or

2. Actually do it if it is possible.

So for now be safe because we never know WHEN people will abuse the rules put out for this game... maybe today, tonight, tomorrow, next year, maybe 2... Or when the game is no longer played online anymore.

So is nothing to worry about.

[dark_agenda]

I'm just using PSO as an example of a game in which there are several cultures: those who play by the rules, and those that bend them blatantly. I know that in any MMO game, there are going to be people that fall into these categories.

I agree with superguppie on the issue of banning as a tool, but perhaps complete banishment is not the answer entirely. Take everquest for example. There are very few people that cheat, if they do they keep a low profile because of the large amount of moderation that takes place. It's not hard to find a game mod while playing and let him know what your gripes are. I honestly think this is the best way to go for the online genre, simply because the moderators are acting as a company representative to all of its product users.

[SpyroDi]

Well,you might know that Blizzard,maker of Starcraft/Diablo/Warcraft,actually takes action against these hackers,because it violates their Battle.net Terms of Use Agreement:

4. Your Use of Battle.net.

A. You are entitled to use Battle.net for your own personal use, but you shall not be entitled to

...

(v) use any third-party software to modify Battle.net to change game play, including, but not limited to cheats and/or hacks

You see,Blizzard actually bans people because they either didn't read the thing,or they knew and are just stupid.

If ST would actually fix things up on the servers,then it would be a better game for everyone.

Edit: I play SC and D2 myself,and I must say I know what you mean.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: SpyroDi on 2003-11-20 13:56 ]</font>