AFK PVP IO farming against the Rules?

Where are these afk farming being done?

I have never come across one, and if I sit still in a zone for more than a miniute I get killed.

I have been on some of the less populated servers but then there is nobody around at all.

I must just keep missing them.

Thank you for explaining.

I'll weigh in on this. I've actually spent a bit of time PvP'ing recently (I actually do PvP and not farm, lol). However I do know a few members in our coalition (there's 5 fairly active PvP groups in ours) who do the afk thing. From what I've experienced and gathered so far...

1) During 2 different PvP sessions in the last 2 weeks with multiple players in zone - the entire zone experienced a player positioned reset. Basically we were jumping and bouncing all over in usual PvP wildness when suddenly we all freeze and blink on screen. Then we blink again and we are ALL everyone in zone teleported to a random but set location. On one day there were at least 8 of us in the zone and on another day probably 10-12'ish (though not 100% sure on numbers). This happened to all of us at the same time as we all started going "WTF" in broadcast, lol. We all experienced the same thing. Some of us were teleported to the same spots right next to each other, and pretty much everyone at least 1/2 a map away from where we were. It was truly a shocker, lol. It was also funny too because scattered around the zone in these locations with us were like 6 or more other players that we didnt see before at all, lol. Im guessing those were the afk guys.

2) Since summer started Ive been PvP'ing pretty much everyday for a few hours (2-3 on average...i know im a glutton for punishment). I have only experienced this twice in my play times. However it doesnt appear to happen at the same or set times.

3) Of the afk types I know they have been complaining about this a lot in chat. From whats been said this happens at random times (no set timer), is zone wide as I experienced, and from 2 of the guys who moved their toons to other servers to avoid the above mentioned "farm busters" - this is happening to all servers (or at least the ones they are on too). Not at the same time. Some days it doesnt happen. Some days it only happens on some servers. Some days it happens 2 times a day or more on whichever server(s).

4) As mentioned there are no notes in the combat logs about TP Foe or any other form of teleports. And the mass teleport to all at once to what seem set locations seems to support some form of player position reset.

So my guess based on whats been said and I've seen is that its random. Its zone wide when it happens. Its not a power being used but a position reset. Seems to happen on all servers not just one buggy one (aka not a server hardware issue).

My bets are:

Possibly a GM(s) who goes and randomly blanks zones on the different servers. Is it to grief ? I dunno. If it was on purpose it certainly broke up all fights going on at the time. For like 10 minutes we all just stood around broadcasting and asking what happened, lol.

My other bet is its a bug that is causing all players in a zone to lose sync or something. However since the players are not returning to their last position, this doesnt seem as likely.

I think something to watch out for to see if its a bug or a GM initiative is to note if the npc's in a zone are resetting too ? I didnt pay attention to this when it happened to us, but one of the guys brought it up as a possible indicator.

If its only players and not the npc's then I'd wager GM intervention first. If the whole zone blanks and everything resets then its probably a bug (though a GM could do that too im guessing). But if the whole zone resets then a bug is as strong a possibility as GM.

Last comment I'll make is I think its funny how much conjecture and "hate" posts went on against the OP, and apparently by players who dont have the faintest clue as to whats going on. Way to take your "opinions" and use them as a bludgeon to beat on anothers observation in an effort to belittle what he was trying to say. Sans any facts or observations of your own of course... but i guess thats just par for the course on a forums, rofl.

Oh well. I mainly posted this cause I felt bad the OP said something real then it went on 3 pages of other players bashing him.

So yes its real. Just ask the PvP'ers.

Thanks Mean. I've got a thick skin so it's no harm no foul. I have never experienced the entire playerbase in a zone being randomly teleported but I have heard of such things.

I am told by a Mod that occasionally GMs WILL teleport players if they are stuck behind geometry. Where I farm it is possible they may consider this to be the case (even though I am perfectly targetable and attackable.) So that may be what is happening.

In any case, that would explain why it is being done. Not because it appears to be an AFK farm but because of a possible geometry situation. That still remains unclear but at least it appears it was not a direct attempt to disrupt a farm.

So my apologies to the GM team if this thread caused any undue stress.

@MeanNVicious: Heck, from what you discribe it could well be an offficial policy designed specifically to disrupt AFK PvPIO farms. I know a dev (Castle?) mentioned that they wouldn't even consider raising the PvPIO drop rate until/unless they could prevent AFK farming. So I could see this being thier attempt to do just that.

There are also several SG's and individuals who enjoy hunting pvp farmers as a form of sport. They will TP the Targets and the Killers all over a zone for entertainment. I know one who bragged of getting someone all the Zone exploration badges before killing him. Others will put people on the rocket tower, or on new buildings. Anything to confuse the farmer when they return.

Plus its a real easy way to earn rep for yourself.

I say whatever. its a PVP zone. you don't like it, go somewhere else or hide better. Oh and most of the experienced hunters know the hiding places. Your easier to find than you think because the kill is announced in a small radius around you and thats 1 way they find you

Yea that was me that did that. I was on a server where my toon wasnt slotted and i couldnt kill this tank fast enough to send him to the hospital so instead i teleported him to all of the badge locations and left him at the globe.

Another time i found two seperate farms and switched the rezzing toons between farms. I got a kick out of that.

I was expecting them to crack down on this with the release of GR, thus the big bet I placed on PvP IO recipes before the merger.

They didn't, but for some reason prices still went crazy and I made a fortune.

I'll be making the same bet before next issue, because they're going to put the kibosh on it one of these days.

I still think that farmers, on the average, are an important part of most game economies and should simply be left alone. Not that I would ever begrudge someone killing anyone in a PvP zone for any reason because I don't, but the principle is the same.

I easily give away half of what I get to people who want them, but could never afford them through casual play. And I've had a fair share given to me. I do sell some, mostly the uniques, and bank the rest. Not all farming is done to facilitate massive market hikes to generate wealth at the expense of the playerbase as a whole.

Since it pretty much comes down to "playing the game," we could all just take a year's sabbatical and see if--

Oh god, I'm shaking. No more crazy talk.