How long will the exploits go on?

I haven't actually seen AE broadcast or anything...like...at all? For months now. Maybe it's due to the channels I'm (not) in but...meh. *shrug*

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

Amen!

Originally Posted by Zwillinger GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.

Originally Posted by Captain_Photon NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.

PI Broadcast, circa Issues 1-15:
"FILLER/BRIDGE LOOKING FOR TEAM/FARM WILL PAY FOR INVITE"

It's not a new concept. Get over it.

Uh-oh, the "I'm a vet, my whining is relevant!" speech.

Christ people, it's a game. The devs are aware of things, they'll deal with issues as they see fit.. Let it gooooooo.

Actually this particular exploit works well enough that any toon can run the mission and level with stupid speed, you don't need a team and on some versions it's a positive disadvantage. This may be why you're not seeing the spam.

I'm somewhat upset that the mods haven't removed the main offending user's arcs and banned the user, they're sending out the wrong message about tolerating these despite knowing about this for at least 2 weeks (the exploit has been fixed on test or beta I believe for ages).

Remember the backlash when Positron said that there will be a nigh-zero tolerance policy to exploiters during the early days of AE? The higher-ups probably told the devs and GMs that they should just give everyone a light slap on the fingers because they don't want any bad PR.

This is what we heard:

I am using the AE like crazy so leave alone until I get my guys up to 50. I am also far superior to a person who is complaining about an exploit, I complain about complainers.

You win teh internet.

When do you play? I can always log an alt in there and spam a bit for you. (Though anyone answering is going to be rather disappointed.)

See my Guides and Tutorials

Whoo boy, you did get me.

*faith in humanity restored...

You seem to be under the impression that this game is a democracy. And actually it might be, but the dev team are the ones with the votes.

In other words it doesn't particularly matter what the Aye and Nay player totals are in the least.

Nothing much would change. People in the game will ignore the forums, over half of them not even knowing they exist. People in the forums will continue to remain a vocal minority.

Consequences applied wholesale to the using playerbase would result in COHs already unstable outlook becoming even more unstable ... which means the originator and a few of the most abusive users may suffer, while everyone else goes about their business. You don't ban/punish a significant minority of your playerbase (say, worst case, 15%) unless you have customers to burn. COH doesn't have customers to burn what with its' income this year being rather lower than last year even with the paid expansion numbers ...

Stuff.

I actually wanted to emphasize this. There are Forum-people crying for blood over this. These people ... may have the best interested of the game at heart, but seem to be operating with incomplete information.

IF we accept the postulate that a significant percentage of the overall playerbase is engaging in this behavior - and the market results seem to bear this out - THEN we must also accept that a similarly large population base will dislike this being stopped. And if - as some have cried out for - these 'ill-gotten gains' are to be taken away, that would mean a respectable number of players will suddenly log in to de-leveled, locked, or deleted characters - characters they may well enjoy as much as you enjoy your own.

And as far as they're concerned, this would be without warning. And since they were only playing content that - in whole or in part - the devs included in the game, they'd have a legitimate cause to believe they were being punished for "playing the game wrong".

If I were them, I'd quit playing, at least for a while, to simmer over my wound. That seems ... like a very poor marketing idea.

There's nothing in the Mission Architect system, or online in the game, that says, "If you find an arc with a disbalanced rate of return, we may take away the benefits you gain from running that arc". In fact, the game is set up in such a way to REWARD finding and creating such arcs.

You know, and I know, and EVERY forumgoer knows, these are dangerous, long-term destructive, and ultimately game-warping flaws. But it's entirely possible the people using them - and the people who would be punished for using them - don't.*

I think it would be absolutely fascinating to see the "numbers" behind one of these 'exploits'. How many more new characters are made? How many more accounts? How much more playtime is accumulated overall? That'd be fascinating information. I wonder if the devs look at it, or just make assumptions...

TL;DR - The "pitchforks and torches" crowd is making the (seemingly false) assumption they're the majority. I strongly suspect it's the opposite.

Note - I do hope for 'the good of the game' the exploit is patched - but I similarly hope that no 'punishment' for playing is leveled; and my hope for no punishment also comes from wanting what's good for the game.

* - No, seriously. Realizing they're bad for the "long term" of the game requires more thinking about it than most people probably give. Not that they don't realize they're 'exploits' and going to be removed - but they don't realize they're actually bad for the game.

The beta servers already have this specific farm patched. Said patch is apparently being delayed until I19 comes out because to do otherwise would require a (possibly more bugged) rebuild of the beta servers.

There is also the cynical perspective that if such a farm hadn't appeared about this time, the devs would have included one. More available/played/active 50s at I19 release means more people getting involved in the new content. Recall that they had to lower the epic AT unlock from 50 to 20 because a rather large percentage of players didn't have 50s. Or something like that.

with my current job..pretty much never cant wait to get some free time again.

and yeah, i got the joke, it was a play on "the beatings will continue until morale improves" which is often attributed to pirates and really bad HR departments.

I'd forgotten that second piece of information. Fascinating.

I'll admit I'd often given up characters at about 45ish, because the rest felt like a pretty-much-rewardless slog to scrap out the "last bits", and been motivated to give those characters an extra push because of the upcoming Incarnate Slot.

If I were conspiracy-minded, I have to admit, the timing would be... ...fascinating.

(Note that, with my tinfoil-hat off, I'm sure it's all nothing and a co-incidence. ... ...but it is a fetching hat.)

Heh, no, I don't think it's a democracy at all, and the only thing preventing the players from exercising their absolute power over the developers and the development of the game is, we can't ever agree on what we want or how we want it.

that sounds like a pretty fair definition of democracy to me.

We have them right where they want us!

I'm also on Liberty and honestly, I almost never see this, as well. I only really had one experience in the past several months and that was last week.

I admit, though, that I have 2 characters that I would love to level up quickly, since they were on my 2nd account, which I had to close for financial reasons. I remade them on my main account, but it's a bit disheartening playing them at low levels again after hitting 50 with them. Still... it does have some fun moments as I have to rethink strategies with them.