Project Lore

I don't know about you guys but even though I am a far cry from the hardcore raiding base, I still live through them vicariously.  I follow the MMO-Champion's Hall of Fame, I check up on all the "top guild" websites here and there, and I even report about the major events in the top echelon of raiding.  Instead of freaking out over the conditions surrounding the King of Pop's death this weekend, I was busy reading into the death of an Old God.  None other then Yogg-Saron+0, the last undefeated Ulduar encounter, bit the dust a few days ago.  Like Jackson, as soon as The Beast with a Thousand Maws uttered his last whisper claims of a mysterious death were uttered. Turns out that the cries of shenanigans against Exodus were just, as the guild openly admits to using a newly discovered, by them, exploit after getting banned from the game.  The banhammer notice, details of the exploit and trash talking are all included in the guild's official statement.

In our many attempts at trying to figure out a way to defeat Yogg zero watcher, we found a way to use bugged game mechanics to make phase 3 easier in zero watcher then one watcher. The bug is when someone is left inside the brain room of Yogg-Saron, they can still get aggro on the adds that spawn in phase 3. That means if you have someone getting healing aggro in the brain room, they will get aggro on the adds, which cause them to evade in place and allows for all of your raids dps to be focused on Yogg. We discovered this mechanic on a wipe, and decided to see if we could actually get it to work. The first attempt after that wipe, we realized it worked, and went with it and killed it on that attempt. We also filed a formal bug report on Blizzard's website.

Blizzard's EULA clearly states that using an exploit to gain an unfair advantage is against the rules.  Exodus doesn't deny that they exploited, or complain about the temporary ban, at least not directly.  Nope, Exodus cries foul of favoritism by Blizzard amongst the hardcore raiding guilds.  The team alleges that Ensidia and Nihilum have used "clever game mechanics" before, even citing a few Ulduar examples, but haven't been meet by the same backlash from other hardcore guilds, or, and more importantly, Blizzard.  At the moment the team is riding out a 72 hour ban and it makes me wonder who at Blizzard makes these decisions.  It's obvious that the issues are handled case by case, so does that mean there is a higher up who oversees the GMs?  Or is it at the discretion of a server's lead GM?  Any readers have that much insight? The guild mud slinging really brings me back though.  In the vanilla days of World of Warcraft, whenever a new first kill was announced on Magtheridon (US) everyone would respond that "Feared killed Onyxia first."  The quip was due to a long standing debate between who killed the dastardly dragon first, Horde or Alliance.  I don't see it anymore so it must have died during The Burning Crusade's heyday, as that is when the old guild disappeared. Slap on the wrist and name calling aside, claiming that you have the right to exploit because the fight is unbeatable is an incredibly lame justification.  In case you are wondering, the exploit has already been hotfixed. What's more interesting to you, the temp ban or the possibility of unequal treatment?

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According to a government-issued press release, China's Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Commerce (that's right, they've got two Ministries on the job!) have filed an injunction against anybody who would sell or trade virtual currency for real goods or services. This comes as the country's first official ruling on the matter, which defines what does and does not constitute virtual currency (game cards count, apparently), and cites concerns of gambling and illicit trade using the the funny money as a go-between. Now, your average gold seller probably spends at least half his day in a tiny room filled with cigarette smoke and the ambient buzz of a dozen or so computers running non-stop, farming up mobs and resources just so he can earn his meager paycheck. He's the computer-age equivalent of your average "working joe." It almost makes me feel sorry for I wonder if Cash4Gold would accept all of my virtual WoW money? those guys, but hopefully the enaction of this new law will curtail the more malicious brand of online crooks: those that hack and ravage player accounts. Even if you haven't experienced it yourself, we almost all know someone who's fallen victim to the practice, and we understand how much of a pain in the butt it can be to get things squared away again. So, does this mean bye-bye Susan Express? As one of the more noted gold-selling sites, perhaps, as the Chinese government no doubt has their eyes on certain firms. But, as with just about any illegal trade, it will be all but impossible to completely stamp out. Gold farmers will go further underground or move their operations to other countries that have yet to ban the practice, though I believe that the law works both ways, meaning that Chinese players could be indicted for buying, as well as selling. The press release cites "QQ Coins" (yes, they're really called that) from Tencent.com as the most often-traded virtual currency in the country. Originally, they were used to purchase clothes and accessories for online avatars, but have come to be used by a variety of online stores seeking to capitalize on the incredible popularity of the associated online/networking services provided by Tencent. The new law makes exceptions for legitimate content providers, and the company has stated their intent to cooperate with the government in stopping online theft (just look at their "vision:" To be the most respected internet company). According to tech-related business site Information Week, the gold-selling business currently bring in "between $200 million and $1 billion annually." In addition to simply curtailing crime, the regulation seems apt to prevent the virtual trade from becoming too much of a burden on China's real-world economy in the future. I, for one, am glad to see China taking a stance on the issue, especially since the country is purported to house at least 80% of gold-selling operations worldwide. I can guess what most of you think of this development, at least from a WoW player's standpoint. But what about the global economy? These illicit operations may be a thorn in the side of real-world governments and creators of virtual goods (like Blizzard), but is stunting the growthy of a new economic avenue worth it in the long run? Just as digital distribution of products like movies or games is becoming a steady alternative to buying physical copies from the store, is it possible for money to effectively be traded in a similar fashion?

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The vastness of the WoW-verse almost exploded when Karatechop got his hands on a developer item.  Martin Fury in hand, Karatechop and his guild - The Marvel Family - tore through content like Bear Grills through a zebra until he, and most of his guild, were hit with the fabledBanhammer.  After our first take on the issue, Karatechop took some time out to detail what happened, how the guild has recovered and what he's up to now. ProjectLore: With all the criticism you've taken, would you have done things differently or would you still just go have fun? Karatechop: I’ve played WoW for over four years, and its always been for fun. Given the choice, it would always be fun. Possessing Martin Fury is something I believe no player will ever receive again. In my four years of WoW, I’ve never heard of a normal player receiving such an item, so I doubt it will happen again.  Given the chance, I wouldn’t do it again; I’ve used it for fun, but at the cost of nearly destroying my guildies. After all, GM items come and go, but guildies are for keeps. PL: In hindsight, knowing that you'd be banned, you'd place your account and guildies above the once-in-a-lifetime experience? Karatechop: Providing the guild members who weren't involved have all punishments lifted, and I told all guild members they could get banned with me, then I would do it again with those willing to risk it all.  Getting those who weren't involved hit by the banhammer, I do not wish to see happen again. PL: You stated that you have been playing the game for over four years.  Shouldn't you have known something was up when you were given such an unusual item?  I'm fairly certain no shirt exists in WoW that has stats, let alone such a powerful use. Karatechop: The Shirt Came from Blizzard, so it made me think that they wanted Leroyspeltz (The Person who was originally received the shirt) to have it as some form of compensation for Leroy not having his characters for several months. At first we thought it was a mistake, but the fact it had 100 charges made us consider it was basic compensation for some fun. PL: Why didn't your guild mate use Martin Fury instead of passing it off to you? Karatechop: On the basis of me being the tank, so I can get close enough to use it in heroic Uldar.  That and I asked him nicely. PL: Which bosses did you down with the fourteen spent charges? Karatechop: Four charges weren’t used on bosses as such, the others were used for OS25+3D, Malygos 25-man (looting is impossible when he dies before you get flying mounts) and then the rest were used for some Uldar bosses. PL: Well, I guess you certainly broke the game in Malygos' fight then. Karatechop: This actually led to a sort of new guild moto for us, "We Came, We Saw, We Lol'ed." PL: Was there anything you wanted to do with Martin Fury that you didn't get a chance to accomplish?  We know you gained some achievements from its use, did you pick up any loot? Karatechop: I was curious how it would work in a PvP environment, I did ponder whether to join Alteric Valley and just ride south and take Drek and Galv on my own, or perhaps win some arena matches. Also in hindsight, I should have completed the full Uldar run, just because I got banned anyway. PL: You mentioned that a collection of your guild mates had their accounts locked.  Was it any of the players that you played the joke on?  Are they all back to normal now?  Have they forgiven you? Karatechop: The account bannings weren’t as clear as that though. Blizzard simple banned every guild member who was online at that time, instead of just the ones with the saved raid ID. I know the players who petitioned saying they weren’t in the raid are back, but those who had the raid ID had some additional difficulty.  Blizzard is treating it as a case-by-case. Despite the issues the majority of the guild members have my back. Some where annoyed, but the general consensus is I aimed for fun, and they had it. PL: People on both sides of the issue acknowledge that Blizzard did something wrong by allegedly sending your friend the item.  In all your interactions with Blizzard, did they admit to any fault? Karatechop: In the e-mail I received, they did not admit fault. This sums up Blizzard's side: “The character, "Karatechop," on the realm "Vek'nilash" was found to have obtained an item (inaccessible by standard game play) from another player and trivialized the World of Warcraft raid contents with the exploitative use of this item. Consequently, this character was able to assist with the accumulation of items and achievements through the use of this item that is not obtainable by "normal" means. The character's actions gave the account an unfair advantage over all other players. As a result of the violation of the World of Warcraft Terms of Use, this account will be permanently closed.” PL: Hmm, I wonder what would have happened if your guildmate - the original owner of the item - had used it instead of you.  The reason for the ban given in the e-mail would have gone out the window. Karatechop: We can only assume Blizzard would have penalised him as "fairly" as they punished myself. PL: What would have been a fair punishment to you? Karatechop: In the 4+ years I’ve played, I’ve never had an infraction. I would have thought this would have been taken into account. Perhaps removal of achievements and loot, and at max a week or two ban would be justified, that way all the “damage” I have done, is undone. PL: What's your stance on other EULA issues like purchasing gold or accounts and using bots programs like MMO-Glider. Karatechop: Programs that “mine” information of Blizzard's or automate parts of the games I do not agree with, that I see as too much of an unfair advantage. As for the buying of gold, I think it’s a hit-or-miss debate.  Personally I think casual players who work 40 hours a week and only manage to spend a couple of hours in the evening should be allowed to purchase gold, just so they don’t spend the only time they play grinding for that epic mount or the rep reward, which hardcore players can manage with hours to raid afterwards.  Making casual players richer, allows them to raid more and have fun, which is what WoW is about, regardless of which spectrum you side with.  Although, I have seen videos of typically Asian/Chinese children forced to play WoW to farm gold.  That I do not agree with.  I would however fully support Blizzard running their own gold selling store. PL: Do you think the incident will have any long lasting effects on how Blizzard enforces their rules? Karatechop: I highly doubt it. I’m assured they have am efficient legal team, who cover all clauses and loop holes in any legal documentation you need to sign before you can even create your WoW account. However, I assume that Blizzard will make some adjustments to their GM interface, to include some form of confirmation when sending items to players. PL: What are you doing with that new gaming rig now?  Are you going to try another MMO like Champions Online or are you going to move to a different genre?  Plan on staying in touch with The Marvel Family? Karatechop: Nothing at the moment. I’m contemplating starting WoW again, as I would still have gold and a large friendship base to help me back to 80, so restarting won't be as difficult as the first time. PL: Do you plan on doing anything with your new found recognition or are you going to ride it out? Karatechop: Well we all know what happened to Leeroy Jenkins, yet he managed to get on the Jeopardy, I don’t plan on going that far, nor do I think I could. Occasionally answering some questions on places like PL and WoW-insider will suffice for me. PL: Lastly, was God Mode worth it? Karatechop: Absolutely. I’ll get to level 80 again, but I won't ever have God mode again. PL: Thanks for your time, good luck in your future endeavors.

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There are a number of Aussies who play World of Warcraft. I was talking to one on vent just last night. However, it seems that at this time, that number is not going to grow. Australian law dictates that no game can be traded or sold that is not classified by the Australian Classification Board as appropriate for a 15-year-old. WoW, along with many other MMORPGs, did not apply for classification in Australia due to its lack of a single player component, and thus fits into that category. As I was talking with (and playing WoW with) a player in Australia just a few hours ago, it doesn't look like accounts are being canceled or banned if they are from Down Under. With the law, though, the sale of new copies of World of Warcraft is likely going to stop in Australia for the time being. According to an article covering the controversy on IGN, penalties for selling unclassified games "range from $1100 to $11,000 for individuals and/or 12 months' imprisonment, and approximately double those figures for corporations." Blizzard will probably apply for classification as soon as possible to avoid losing any sales in Australia, though I feel bad for anyone who can't get their fix of Warcraft due to pesky laws. Any Aussies able to chime in?

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