Armorsmith Archive

This is a plea, for the sake of the game and all its players.

I have thought long and hard on this issue, and have remained silent while I debated with myself something that has been occurring in our game for awhile now.

Recently a new version of an older bug has reappeared. This “bug” at one point in the past allowed the mass production of “Uber” items that was never intended in the game. This “bug” is exactly that, a bug in the game system, how it is used may determine whether it is an exploit. I know I am not the only one aware of the application of this “bug” and make this plea to those who already know about it, please do not use it and please do not take advantage of it. This was never intended to be in the game.

I have done some tests and indeed it is active and allows for players to bypass and alter the rules of crafting that have always been in place. If this “bug” is used, the server will be divided into 2 camps, those who learned about it and used it to full effect, and those who choose not to, or were unaware. There is no skill in using this bug, there is no pride to be gained by doing that which was never intended. Taking advantage of this may give you more “play money” but at what price to your own self?

If you think this is something you do only because you are aware others might be doing this, you cheapen yourself and rationalize unethical behavior. Do not rationalize this type of action, it is morally wrong.

If you think this is something you do because if the bug exists, it is there to be used, rethink your logic and the actual process of utilizing this bug and you will see it is morally wrong.

If you think you will gain a better reputation among the players for crafting “mad skill uber items”, rethink your intention, it is morally wrong.

If you think you are using this “bug” to help other players be better and thus better the game community as a whole, you are rationalizing doing something that in fact will ruin/cheapen the entire community for your own personal gain and you are morally wrong.

After weighing the personal costs against the “play money”/ego benefits I have decided not to participate in this “bug” though it may make my chosen in-game business outdated and obsolete.

I do not know what will happen to this game in the upcoming months, but if players take full advantage of this I feel the game will be ruined completely.

So please, if you have used this “bug” already, are trying to do so now, or plan to take advantage of it in future stop for a second and think. Is this game really worth compromising yourself over?

And for those who don’t know yet of what I am speaking, you will I am sure at some point find out. If you are offered some “uber” item(s) that are just too good to pass up, think twice before you buy them, for you too will then become party to the same unethical behavior that created them.

Yours,

Varnax Despin

Hopefully you've reported it.

Don't know which bug you're talking about...don't really care to either. Perhaps those using it will be banned?

Yes it's just a game. And we know about the no serial number loot bug

There's been ways to get these kinds of "exploitable" bugs fixed rapidly by the devs:

1. Report the bug repeatedly - hopefully you will get their attention and they will get on it.

2. If (1) fails, publish what the bug is. Everyone jumps on it, the devs take notice, and hotfix it. Done. All the "uber" crafted products can either be wiped out by the hotfix, or they will decay in time, and things will go back to normal.

I don't know what bug you're talking about. But those are your options, do what you think is right.

Well hopefully its easy to spot people that have used the bug and they get banned for it

I have heard of this bug

I think it would probably only apply to looted segs like NS segs/shards and the likes. I have heard of tailor stuff and WS stuff that does not have serials but never AS stuff. However I am sure there are people out there that will take advantage of it. I do hope they confiscate the stuff if the system is taken advantage of. Personnally I would report the items so I may get reembursed for them without losing them.

thanks for the post though we need it.

/bump

Message Edited by justapilgrim on 05-22-2004 05:03 AM

Can I sell someone else's soul for these "uber items"? I like mine.

are you referring to the serial number bug? For bugs it's really best not to post about it and PM the dev, and submit bug reports. It'll get fixed much quicker that way.

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Drummerboychris wrote:
are you referring to the serial number bug? For bugs it's really best not to post about it and PM the dev, and submit bug reports. It'll get fixed much quicker that way.

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Sooo naive , exploits don't get fixed until half the server is using em. Keeping exploits quiet just means there's a handfull of exploiters getting a leg up until it becomes widely known months later and the devs finally twig to the fact that it's a problem.

This is how it works in all mmporgs, the devs ignore exploits until they explode out of controll.

IMO this is a massive issue, the fact it is occuring in a "game" does not make it any less an ethical issue.

This "bug" has been reoccuring in some form since close to launch, but it is only recently that it has become widly used in many crafting fields, at least on my server.

When 1 player uses this bug the effect may be minimal to the community as a whole, when 10 players use it the effect starts to be seen, when 20 people from each crafting proffession begin using it disrupts the game for all others who would try their hand at crafting and cheapens to entire game.

This topic is being debated on valcyn much more so then on this board. Ignoring this while it occurs will not make it go away.

If 10 smiths on your server start putting out suits of armor in mass with stats that no one who does not use this "bug" can match, who's business will fall off?

What will players buy? a 80% kin suit w/64%base for "X" cr or a 80%electrical 75%+ Base suit for "2X" cr that has 300+less HAM?

What is then more important, the time and energy you have put into learning your craft, gathering resources and establishing an honest business, or"johnsmith" who uses this bug to make all your work obsolete?

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Drummerboychris wrote:
depends... if the exploit is bad, the devs will patch it, even with a few people knowing about it. ifit doesn't hurt the economy much, they wait.

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I just don't have your faith in the devs , on bria there were two weaponsmiths who were using component schematics (blaster barrels?) that had stats from krayt tissues added, but didn't actually require krayt tissues. So they could do full 1000 run's of these krayt tissue stat components for weapons.

And anyways these two weaponsmiths made their weapons like this for months, nobody else could make weapons like theirs. And SOE did nothing.

Now if everyone had known these exploits, and everyone used em they woulda been hotpatched the next day. A level playing field ensuring that those two exploiters didn't have a huge advantage over everyone else for a whole 2 months.

depends... if the exploit is bad, the devs will patch it, even with a few people knowing about it. ifit doesn't hurt the economy much, they wait.