13k accounts banned (1/24)

[Cookiemonster]

1) Yep. I noticed a spike in the sales of BLM quest items (notably in Windurst, it's Test Answers) at the local AH. Sounds like they're trying. Again. It's like watching special children push the "Pull" signed door.

A few weeks ago I noticed the entire history of errant body was all sold to one person as well.

[ronin sparthos]

Also... a 30 day trial won't cut it for most RMT. It only works for the RMT that repeat quests, manipulate the AH, or do one round of gardening. However, all the RMTs that farm things or synth or perform other actions that take more than what a level 1 character can do are hurt and can not get by with only a 30 day free trial off the starter pack. Every month, I see a new alliance of anon taru BLMs levelling or some new melees whacking goobbues in zitah 24/7, and it takes time to get there. Given that those accounts must now gone, too, they'll have to do it all over again.

That was the old way of doing things, which was just a tug of war between RMT levelling and RMT getting squished. After a while they started to buy up cheap accounts on ebay or the other way around - people selling them accounts that they would then turn around and rename and use for RMT purposes.

Granted we dont know how many groups work to RMT in FFXI, they could easily use the cheap trial accounts to do the tedious pos hacking, fishbotting, AH manipulation etc etc. Movement is client-side so the one way to stop poshacking would be to setup traps in known areas of RMT/player activity and nail them with dcs if they move faster than normal gameplay allows between a Point A and Point B.

They seem to be testing out the effectiveness of tapping into the 'unlimited' resevoir of player accounts to do their bidding atm. Set a few traps on a few resource pages, send someone a link ingame that looks promising and maybe they might open it, spam somewhere like Whitegate with a 'Funny Video Link' etc. etc. In either case, RMT are using cheap trial accounts to manipulate the AH, fishbot, spam people with bad links and poshack coupled with the fact that even at the minimum creating malicious programs to snag free accounts that are loaded in some way (hell even the shittiest account has the work invested at the least) cuts them doing any work to get to the gil out of the equation.

Id say in a group of 5 stolen accounts, 3 people will persue it and 2 people will just cut losses and quit the game/start over. That is a far better haul than buying/building up accounts that could be banned within a week of buying which could mean a no profit turnover for RMT and a bigger issue for the STF when they are in effect just banning puppet characters that are no loss to the RMT.

Im sure they are starting to see what the implications are if this is the new 'Rabao' of RMT action and that is why they are trying to evolve the policy to handle the situation in a far better fashion.

If they don't disable POS hacking and flee hacking everything that they do is worthless since they can create new level characters who can pop around Mount Zhayolm mining away with no fear or pop around doing other quests like the Southern San d'Oria [S] ones. Destroy their illegal movement and you have instantly increased the time that it takes them to do anything by 10-20 fold.

Hopefully they start setting some speed traps between certain zones RMT are playing in and snag them over the usual 'lets nerf the quest into obscurity'.

[Mizango]

If they don't disable POS hacking and flee hacking everything that they do is worthless since they can create new level characters who can pop around Mount Zhayolm mining away with no fear or pop around doing other quests like the Southern San d'Oria [S] ones. Destroy their illegal movement and you have instantly increased the time that it takes them to do anything by 10-20 fold.

Now Sept, you know that makes too much sense.

[Kenji]

But they waste a lot of time and money doing so. In one of those specials where they went over to china and interviewed the sweatshop people, they talked about how, even in WoW, some RMT businesses had to shut down after mass bannings. And it takes a whole lot more time and effort to level in FFXI. I think the reason we're seeing mass hackings, is because RMT have found themselves losing money trying to level to 75. Sky/sea are off limits to them now. It's a huge investment to make that no longer pays off. So they try to hack a high level character now, gain it's assets, and then try to use what little time they have on the character to farm gil.

Banned people can come back and play the game again, with a new account. If they try the same stupid crap again that got them banned in the first place, they simply get banned again. Wasted money in my opinion, but it is their money.

Because nobody ever wastes money in FFXI, amirite? How many gilbuyers have been exposed throughout the years, having bought gil for thousands of dollars? If that's not wasted money, then I don't know what is.

RMTs are clearly losing money with the new mass bannings - just looks at the upswing in hacked accounts recently. That doesn't mean that hacking legit players' accounts are the only way they make their money nowadays, though, it just means starting new POL IDs and leveling them up isn't as profitable as it used to be.

Eh, personal opinion. To me, buying gil and rebuying the game over and over is wasted money. I mean, if they'd just avoid doing things that get themselves banned, they wouldn't have to keep rebuying. However, to someone else, me just paying 12.95 a month to this game is wasted money. I could be dropping it into a high-interest savings account for retirement or something.

But I'd agree, gilbuyers need to be exposed and banned. There has to be a real fear among the playerbase that you could lose everything if you bought gil. Especially now that accounts have been hacked. The finger needs to be pointed: "Because this other person bought gil, you lost your account. How do you feel about that?"

[Shadowhusky]

I do remember them mentioning in one of the STF reports that they would be taking action on gil buyers, too.

God, I hope so.

It sounded like it could be either to me, honestly. We reportedly had some notorious gilbuyers banned on Hades recently, so it seems at least possible.

Some random RMTiness I've noticed on Hades...
- There's a LOT of /anon Tarutaru BLMs all running around on Hades again.
- There was also a /anon Tarutaru who was appearing at the entrance of Kazham and disappearing to somewhere (not at the entrance) in Yuhtunga Jungle.
- I haven't fished on the Ferry lately, but I kind of figure that SE didn't do anything about those RMTs either.

On Bahamut I've noticed that in North Sandy at the signet guard. That about five to six /anon 70+ blm taru all follow around one /anon hume female 70+ whm. They always appear (out of no where) in front of that guard. Then sometimes if I'm watching they just disappear somewhere else.

[ronin sparthos]

But I'd agree, gilbuyers need to be exposed and banned. There has to be a real fear among the playerbase that you could lose everything if you bought gil. Especially now that accounts have been hacked. The finger needs to be pointed: "Because this other person bought gil, you lost your account. How do you feel about that?"

Odds are people who buy gil are like people who buy fur coats:

They could care less because all that matters is getting what they want.

Everything else is just fluff from them.

[Lampoon]

The only downside of banning gil buyers is that they'll just buy another account.

[BRP]

SE reminds me of those people who say theyve been playing FFXI for 7~ years now.

SE has played FFXI for 7 years now!


I don't think they are lying on their reports. It's not like they are giving us a rough estimates, but actual numbers and reports.

And I'm all for this, in every way. Hopefully they start adding gil-introducing methods via quests, craftings, or mini-games and then I could let it fade into the back of my mind. Something patrolling SSG pools is a good idea though.

Most accounts banned are RMT, and there is a decent influx of legit players joining the game.

[ronin sparthos]

SE is trying to get away with the gil via questing thing since everything of that nature gets RMT'd and blown to oblivion like Varchet.

More direct quest items flagged R/EX and EX items would be nice quest rewards.

[evilpaul]

I do remember them mentioning in one of the STF reports that they would be taking action on gil buyers, too.

God, I hope so.

It sounded like it could be either to me, honestly. We reportedly had some notorious gilbuyers banned on Hades recently, so it seems at least possible.

Some random RMTiness I've noticed on Hades...
- There's a LOT of /anon Tarutaru BLMs all running around on Hades again.
- There was also a /anon Tarutaru who was appearing at the entrance of Kazham and disappearing to somewhere (not at the entrance) in Yuhtunga Jungle.
- I haven't fished on the Ferry lately, but I kind of figure that SE didn't do anything about those RMTs either.

You know, the other day I was commenting in LS chat about this /anon'd, gearless, ls'less, taru who kept running out from Kazham to Yuhtunga every 1-2 minutes. I was distracted by my incompetant PT (as most in the jungle are) so I didnt really investigate it further. ;o

It was a Tarutaru named "Age" on Hades. I was bored in my awful party on SCH, so I GM'd him/her. Isn't on right now, and there's no FFXIAH.com history of Jeuno sales, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.

On Bahamut I've noticed that in North Sandy at the signet guard. That about five to six /anon 70+ blm taru all follow around one /anon hume female 70+ whm. They always appear (out of no where) in front of that guard. Then sometimes if I'm watching they just disappear somewhere else.

Like these ones?
http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/8...3122300zc9.jpg
The ones on Hades couldn't possibly be RMTs because they all have different LSes, amirite? Pic is by the Elshimo Uplands OP, I've seen them coming from the OP person in Sandy on my mule at random times as well. They're all currently in the Boyhada Tree, I'd guess at Goobbues.

edit: They just went from Rabao to Cape Terrigan to Cloister of Gales...so, it looks like they're farming Prime Avatars for gil now then.

[Howard Roark]

SE reminds me of those people who say theyve been playing FFXI for 7~ years now.

it always irked me the people that said/say 5 years when it was too early

makes me wanna ask them how ps2 in japan was

out of curiosity how long was beta?

[evilpaul]

I still have a stack of Moon Carrots!

[Kenji]

The only downside of banning gil buyers is that they'll just buy another account.

And that will get banned when they buy gil again. And the next account will get banned. Over and over. I'm honestly curious, how much money and time they'll invest, repeating the cycle? I suppose, if they are truly addicted. But I'm willing to bet this is a small percentage of people. Most will avoid buying gil, if the punishment is severe enough.

And if they're dumb enough to keep sinking thousands of dollars into this, well, that signals that there is something wrong here, that nothing short of divine intervention will solve.

The supply rises to meet the demand, where money is involved. Lower the demand, and you lower the effects of the supply. Of course, at this stage, the supply-side will thrash about to retain it's income level, but eventually will run low on money.

[Not Kuno]

The only downside of banning gil buyers is that they'll just buy another account.

And that will get banned when they buy gil again. And the next account will get banned. Over and over. I'm honestly curious, how much money and time they'll invest, repeating the cycle? I suppose, if they are truly addicted. But I'm willing to bet this is a small percentage of people. Most will avoid buying gil, if the punishment is severe enough.

Um.. Sure theres alot of "super hardcore RMTers" but I'm willing to bet alot of the people that RMT are just casual players that do it randomly. Not every person that RMTs is a super hardcore addict that goes from account to account or w/e.

[Kenji]

The only downside of banning gil buyers is that they'll just buy another account.

And that will get banned when they buy gil again. And the next account will get banned. Over and over. I'm honestly curious, how much money and time they'll invest, repeating the cycle? I suppose, if they are truly addicted. But I'm willing to bet this is a small percentage of people. Most will avoid buying gil, if the punishment is severe enough.

Um.. Sure theres alot of "super hardcore RMTers" but I'm willing to bet alot of the people that RMT are just casual players that do it randomly. Not every person that RMTs is a super hardcore addict that goes from account to account or w/e.

Exactly. All those casual people add up. If gilbuying is hit hard enough by SE, casual people will generally stop buying gil. After the RMT gets done with it's thrashing death-throes, the problem will largely be gone. RMT will move on to other markets which are more lucrative.

[Funkworkz]

Like these ones?
[img]http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/8024/skittles.jpg[/img ]

Same on Sylph, we call them the Skittles.

[Gergall]

Gilbuying is probably summarized by the 80/20 rule (link).

In other words, the top 20% of gilbuyers account for 80% of the business.
The other 80% of gilbuyers are the casual buyers who, combined, only account of 20% of the business.

Pure speculation, but it does apply to lot of things...and it often holds true for luxury purchases in particular.

Edit: And my point, which might not have been clear, is that even though I am a HUGE proponent of banning gilbuyers, I suspect that merely eliminating the casuals will not amount to a huge dent against RMT.

[Kenji]

Gilbuying is probably summarized by the 80/20 rule (link).

In other words, the top 20% of gilbuyers account for 80% of the business.
The other 80% of gilbuyers are the casual buyers who, combined, only account of 20% of the business.

Pure speculation, but it does apply to lot of things...and it often holds true for luxury purchases in particular.

Edit: And my point, which might not have been clear, is that even though I am a HUGE proponent of banning gilbuyers, I suspect that merely eliminating the casuals will not amount to a huge dent against RMT.

Good rule. Could be likely. So let's ban the 20%, to scare the 80%. As long as the majority still play and applaud the move, we still make money.

[Gergall]

I think what was suggested a little earlier is that the top gilbuyers are so hardcore addicted to it that they will just purchase new accounts to no end.

Summary:
-The top gilbuyers will keep coming back
-The other gilbuyers probably don't amount to much.

Again, I am a firm believer in banning all the gilbuyers. I'm just saying that I don't think it's going to have a tremendous impact. It will help a bit for sure though.

[Nazrious]

make it easier to farm gil and gil buying becomes a non issue, make ra/ex items more avaiable, faster NM pops or more varied sources for items like adding drops to different NMs, like a leaping boots NM in every area where there are lizards. Also make craftign materials buyable from NPCs for a specified price. that way there can be no price gouging for x item because when the price goes above Xgil then you can simply buy from a NPC. get rid of the silly area controlled by nation gives access to that vendor.

Make all abjs. drop in eihn. make some weapons and armor available through purchase from NPCs. if people could buy haidate from a NPC from 20mil then those hardcore gil buyers will have little affect on the economy because they will be dumping large amounts of gill out of it, which will help to curb inflation.

but none of this stuff will be done because SE rarely if ever listens to anything.

~c~