Going On The Offensive

[Ama]

<p>Was browsing eq2players when I came upon this little <a href="http://eq2players.station.sony.com/news_archive.vm?id=1167&section=News&locale=en_US" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">number</a>. </p><p>"We have received reports of a new tactic being used by platinum sellers in the game wherein they claim that the gold they are selling comes directly from the developers. The EQII team wants to make it perfectly clear that <b>we do not provide in game currency or items to any of these services and any transactions with them are not sanctioned</b>. "</p><p>If this isn't a sign to go on the offensive nothing is imho.  Have already seen and targeted one plat seller myself that decided to mail people.  Pointed everyone to his/her/it's location in Nettlevile and I let the chaos insue so to speak.  </p><p>We already know some facts about these people and this should be used to SoE's advantage.  I also say it's time we had a stickied post in this area pertaining solely to plat sellers and how to combat them.  Plat sellers started a war with us when they sent people who wanted nothing to do with them tells.  Those who have asked them kindly to "Go Away" and those who angrily asked them to "Bleep off" have been targeted.  </p><p>So my gaming brethern what should we do to combat these things and suggest to SoE in order to combat this crap? </p><p>On a personal note I have to say I don't like waging war here, but the plat sellers started it first.  I get mails or /tells from these people I swear here and now i'm going to track them down then /petition each one until they get the hint to leave me alone.  Plat sellers are a virus that infect our beloved games and they need to be dealt with.  This harrassment has got to stop and the only way it will stop is if I/we take action.  </p>

[archimidesX]

i spam them with obscenities until they log off...

[Ama]

<cite>archimidesX wrote:</cite><blockquote>i spam them with obscenities until they log off... </blockquote><p> Have to say bud i'm tempted to do that myself, but been cautioned against it.  People said that is a good way to get yourself banned and have told a number of stories about friends doing that then being petitioned against by plat sellers.  </p><p>I would use my website to wage war on these people, but i'm not that pathetic or low enough to do that.  Plat sellers are beneath me and i'm only waging war on them in game to get them to shut up with the tells.  Maybe after a few bannings they'll get the hint to leave me alone.  </p>

[The_Real_Ohno]

LOL I do the same thing.  I have a Macro all setup for the plat spammers. <img src="/smilies/49869fe8223507d7223db3451e5321aa.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[archimidesX]

<cite>Amana wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>archimidesX wrote:</cite><blockquote>i spam them with obscenities until they log off... </blockquote><p> Have to say bud i'm tempted to do that myself, but been cautioned against it.  People said that is a good way to get yourself banned and have told a number of stories about friends doing that then being petitioned against by plat sellers.  </p><p>I would use my website to wage war on these people, but i'm not that pathetic or low enough to do that.  Plat sellers are beneath me and i'm only waging war on them in game to get them to shut up with the tells.  Maybe after a few bannings they'll get the hint to leave me alone.  </p></blockquote> Honestly if SOE ever banned me for doing that, it would be the last time i ever give them my money.  I'll play by their rules as long as they make the rest do the same, it isn't hard to tell who is sending massive tells via some kind of script bot.  If they actually did something about it then i wouldn't do anything, but they don't.  It isn't my place to police these people and /report every one of them.  If i did that I'd spend half my play time doing their job.

[Rijacki]

As irritating as it would be, but because the minority of the player base reads the forums or even EQ2Players, I think there should be a pop-up message before log on with this information specifically and how it is against the EULA to buy in-game items, characters, and money (except on Station and then only with the Station service).  It could pop up once a month as a reminder.  It would be as irritating as the adverts to buy the next expansion (or whatever), but to get the word more broadly communicated, I think it is warranted.

[liveja]

I ignore plat spammers entirely, because other than reading this message board, they don't affect my life in the slightest.

[Ama]

<cite>livejazz wrote:</cite><blockquote>I ignore plat spammers entirely, because other than reading this message board, they don't affect my life in the slightest.</blockquote> I kind of aliken the plat sellers to tellemarketers.  There needs to be a turn off switch where you can only receive tells from friends so these people can learn to "bleep off".

[DngrMou]

<cite>Amana wrote:</cite><blockquote>livejazz wrote: I kind of aliken the plat sellers to tellemarketers.  <b>There needs to be a turn off switch where you can only receive tells from friends </b>so these people can learn to "bleep off". </blockquote> This functionality already exists.  Disable player tells on all your chat tabs.  Create a private channel, share that info with your friends, and you'll never recieve plat tells again.

[Looker1010]

Youris@Antonia Bayle wrote: <blockquote><cite>Amana wrote:</cite><blockquote>livejazz wrote: I kind of aliken the plat sellers to tellemarketers.  <b>There needs to be a turn off switch where you can only receive tells from friends </b>so these people can learn to "bleep off". </blockquote> This functionality already exists.  Disable player tells on all your chat tabs.  Create a private channel, share that info with your friends, and you'll never recieve plat tells again.</blockquote><p> You'll also never receive a tell from a stranger asking if you want to group. Sorry, this is a very poor suggestion for a problem that is driving many of us slowly insane. </p><p>Oh, how I hate the plat sellers AND buyers. Remember, buyers are equally guilty here, along with the sellers.</p>

[Ruut Li]

<p>Anybody know if a livejazz ignores plat tells because it doesnt bother him?</p><p>Looker now you have given Youris a reason to spam this thread with his silly "solution". lol..</p>

[DngrMou]

Ruut Li wrote: <blockquote><p>Anybody know if a livejazz ignores plat tells because it doesnt bother him?</p><p>Looker now you have given Youris a reason to spam this thread with his silly "solution". lol..</p></blockquote><p>My 'silly' solution is only silly because it affects you, and your gameplay, and not the countless innocent players your preferred level based alternative does.  Sorry, but if this bothers you, that's on you, and not the low level players you seek to have restricted.  They should not have their game adversely impacted purely for your own selfish benefit.</p>

[DngrMou]

<cite>Looker1010 wrote:</cite><blockquote>Youris@Antonia Bayle wrote: <blockquote><cite>Amana wrote:</cite><blockquote>livejazz wrote: I kind of aliken the plat sellers to tellemarketers.  <b>There needs to be a turn off switch where you can only receive tells from friends </b>so these people can learn to "bleep off". </blockquote> This functionality already exists.  Disable player tells on all your chat tabs.  Create a private channel, share that info with your friends, and you'll never recieve plat tells again.</blockquote><p> You'll also never receive a tell from a stranger asking if you want to group. Sorry, this is a very poor suggestion for a problem that is driving many of us slowly insane. </p><p>Oh, how I hate the plat sellers AND buyers. Remember, buyers are equally guilty here, along with the sellers.</p></blockquote> Learn to read...he said tells from friends....I even bolded that part.

[Ruut Li]

<p>omg yes youris your suggestion bothers me so much my head is about to explode! help! <img src="/smilies/97ada74b88049a6d50a6ed40898a03d7.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>I have no clue what your mumbling about something innocent players..very confusing..Is it like if I had an option to switch off tells from strangers its harming lowbies (why not highbies? so confusing). But if I disable tells and create one chat channel for each of my friends its not harming lowbies (why not highbies?)? But..both suggestions will result in lowbies (and highbies) not being able to contact me..err.. Anyways brightlight I have not suggested anything remotley close to letting myself isolate myself from the community. your super defensive stance is making you imagining things haha. I simply think that your aggressive promotion of you "idea" is weird. If that makes me selfish in your eyes than thats too sad that you have such issues <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> aaww.</p><p>Good thread idea btw <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[DngrMou]

Ruut Li wrote: <blockquote><p>omg yes youris your suggestion bothers me so much my head is about to explode! help! <img src="/smilies/97ada74b88049a6d50a6ed40898a03d7.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>I have no clue what your mumbling about something innocent players..very confusing..Is it like if I had an option to switch off tells from strangers its harming lowbies (why not highbies? so confusing). But if I disable tells and create one chat channel for each of my friends its not harming lowbies (why not highbies?)? But..both suggestions will result in lowbies (and highbies) not being able to contact me..err.. Anyways brightlight I have not suggested anything remotley close to letting myself isolate myself from the community. your super defensive stance is making you imagining things haha. I simply think that your aggressive promotion of you "idea" is weird. If that makes me selfish in your eyes than thats too sad that you have such issues <img src="/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> aaww.</p><p>Good thread idea btw <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p></blockquote><p>You've been confused for as long as I've read your postings on this forum.  Why should that change now?  And to answer the one question you nearly asked in a coherent manner:  No, in both cases, a lack of communication is all that happens...but in the later of the two examples, the negative aspects of the 'solution' are not being forced wholesale down the throats of people who did no wrong, and the people who are complaining, would be the ones who realize the benefits of those restrictions.</p><p>I'd rather see a solution that benefits everyone, actually adresses the problem, and is not an ineffective bandaid applied merely to placate the few perpetually disgruntled that haunt this board. </p>

[Ruut Li]

Of course its confusing when selfish you are trying to pin an imaginary suggestion on me so that you have a "legit" reason to flame me. And I rather be confused and have fun being it than being stubborn and grumpy like a donkey like urself (sorry lol). Next youris-flame inc!

[Giallolas]

<p>I'm another one of the guys that can't stand this.  I play the game and enjoy time with friends.  I even enjoy time chatting with strangers and helping out someone...just cuz I want to.  But I can't remember the last time I had a game session and didn't get tells from yrkfhiod; to sell me plat.  We could just ignore them.  We could act like this isn't a problem.  It is, but we could act like there isn't one.  The greatest problem is that too many people are actually buying their product.  It's like drugs on the streets.  If no one is buying, then there wouldn't be a market.</p><p>Ok, so I can't get everyone else to stop buying plat, power leveling, etc.  Then I suggest to the devs that they allow me to tailor my tells a bit more.  Let me, in my chat options, select that I receive tells from only toons level 30+, or 40+, or whatever.  Most of these plat sellers are very low level and they don't want to waste the time on leveling those pushers.  If they do, I'll ignore that specific one and they have to invest time leveling them again.  After all, if they do level and work hard to get the privilige of /telling my 70's, then they have pretty much joined the community.  Sure, friends with a new alt might have a tiny bit of trouble /telling me, but they can log on their main and let me know, then I'll lower my filter appropriately.  I'm just trying to come up with ideas to help this issue.  It is apparant that it's rampant and it annoys the heck out of most of us.  Seems like a pretty easy fix to me, though I might be mistaken.</p>

[Ithilmar]

How many MMOs have had or have RMT? Think EQ2 is anymore special or gifted to rid themselves of RMT over FFXI, WoW, L2, LotRO, ect? No game has been able to stem the flow of RMT, and has been proven over and over again, for every action devs do that 'hurts' RMT, hurts the common players more as the RMT moves onto another form which people start complaining about a week later. RMT are not a bunch of stupid people, they don't ever just lay down their hand on the first turn. For every one that gets banned, 3 step forward to take their place. Tells are far from something people should be saying are 'driving them insane'. It's a game, and tells are simply a few lines of easily ignored text. Either suck up that fact and move on, or enjoy complaining fruitlessly, as tells get blocked, but your mail box get spammed to the point of being filled every time you log in, or potentially far more annoying/restrictive to peoples gameplay.

[Raveller]

If SOE isn't going to really do anything about the plat farming and selling problem (and let's be honest here, this problem has been growing for many months now with no apparent action by SOE), then maybe they should just start selling coin and items officially. Add new merchant NPCs in every city where you go to make an RMT and walk away with legit coin. I think that must be what they're planning anyway. They're just letting all of us get aggravated and annoyed by the plat farmer/sellers so that the idea will be more accepted, unlike the Exchange servers which caused an uproar when they were announced because we weren't sufficiently upset at the time. And Ithilmar, problems do have solutions. It's just a matter of the game publisher being willing to take action. SOE obviously does not want to take action since every plat farming team is made up of six paying accounts. People may choose to live a little fantasy thinking that it's not possible to identify the plat farmers and sellers, but if we can do it then so can SOE.

[Natak]

Plat selling has been going on for YEARS, not just months. It started (for SOE at least) back in eq1, and carried on to eq2. Combatting plat sellers is like a war on drugs, illiteracy, terrorism, and poverty. It will never actually be won. All you can do is constantly report/petition and hope that it works. Otherwise, just ignore it like it is a message that scrolls across your screen in combat. If there were ways to filter out (as has been suggested), that you could configure that might mitigate it a bit. But remember, if you learn to filter plat seller, they will start sending you tells with p . l . a . t . s . e . l . l . e . r . in it.  That is why it needs to be configurable and not have a limit place don it.

[nitrous]

<cite>Amana wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>archimidesX wrote:</cite><blockquote>i spam them with obscenities until they log off... </blockquote><p> Have to say bud i'm tempted to do that myself, but been cautioned against it.  People said that is a good way to get yourself banned and have told a number of stories about friends doing that then being petitioned against by plat sellers.  </p><p>I would use my website to wage war on these people, but i'm not that pathetic or low enough to do that.  Plat sellers are beneath me and i'm only waging war on them in game to get them to shut up with the tells.  Maybe after a few bannings they'll get the hint to leave me alone.  </p></blockquote> LOL, what is the palt seller gonna do??  /report you?

[Rahatmattata]

<cite>Amana wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>So my gaming brethern what should we do to combat these things and suggest to SoE in order to combat this crap?</p></blockquote> Stop buying plat.

[Ama]

<cite>Rahatmattata wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Amana wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>So my gaming brethern what should we do to combat these things and suggest to SoE in order to combat this crap?</p></blockquote> Stop buying plat.</blockquote> Heh easier said than done since those pathetic reches buy it.  Already been spammed 6 times in one day and one said Power Leveling 1-70 for $695.  Tempted to report them to the FBI for extorsion.  Would be great to get the government in on this since they like to tax everything. 

[boogar]

<p>Another thing I've noticed in the recent barrage of "plat spam" is that they now raid and sell t7 fabled gear,if SOE cannot figure out the raid guild's that support this they are not going to figure out anything or simply do not care.</p><p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v666/ninthsith/EQ2_000002.jpg" border="0"></p>

[Ama]

Syth@Mistmoore wrote: <blockquote><p>Another thing I've noticed in the recent barrage of "plat spam" is that they now raid and sell t7 fabled gear,if SOE cannot figure out the raid guild's that support this they are not going to figure out anything or simply do not care.</p><p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v666/ninthsith/EQ2_000002.jpg" border="0"></p></blockquote> Guess it's high time SoE just went through every single account seeing who owns it from A00001-Z99999Z.  Then do it again and again and again till the plat sellers get the hint to go away. 

[ganjookie]

I misst he fact that they dont respond to you personally anymore.  I used to get in long fights with the spammers, until thier bosses got wise and told them to quit arguing with me.  Lemme find those pics.. ahh ok here they are <span style="font-size: large; font-family: helvetica"><span style="color: #ff0000"> ****WARNING**** ****WARNING****</span></span> ADULT LANGUAGE involved and something nobody that attends church on Sundays should read.  You have been warned. <a href="http://home.surewest.net/deftones/pics/Brunupimain.jpg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Plat Chat</a>

[Ama]

<p>Deffinately stepped up their efforts since I got spammed 6 times yesterday.  Didn't want to start targeting people until Thursday, but they twisted my arm.  </p><p>This is not a threat but fact plat sellers in that every single time you spam me with a message in game I will hunt you down.  I will find you in-game then report your dumb [Removed for Content] self for spamming me.  Instead of making the GMs find you I will find you myself and point them to you.  O and i'll make sure to return the favor if you ever leave Duel invites/group requests unchecked.  </p>

[Wolphin]

<p>I swear at the plat sellers in tells sometimes.... sometimes I just glance at it, swear under my breath and go on.. sometimes I'm in a slightly bad mood and I send them a nice (not really) tell letting them know what them and their company can do. I mean seriously, what are they going to do? </p><p>"Um SoE, excuse me, I was sending out illegal tells trying to sell gold/plat to one of your customers and they swore at me. I want them banned for swearing at me...."</p><p> Gimme a break.  Besides do you think it really does anything other then make you feel better for them few seconds while you swear at them? Most of the plat sellers probably don't even look at the screen for tells. They run their script and log off. Alot of the times, by time I get done typing a response to them and send it, they are already no longer in the game. I think it's more like these stories of people being banned for swearing at plat sellers is an urban legend or they weren't plat sellers. </p>