Part 7: I was going to leave it at that, but then I see another shot across the bow...

http://binarybeer.wordpress.com/2009/01/26/lolstarcade/

Go ahead, read that. I'll wait. In fact, I'll read it as I'm responding to it.

Before I do, I wasn't really even planning on doing the more flame-filled one tonight, until I went to TTO and saw: lolstarcade.

I knew this couldn't be good. Or could it be so bad that it was _really good_... :)

Well, only one way to find out, and then we'll take and lead into the other batch of flames I was actually planning to save because I wanted to try to keep Monday somewhat civil.

(I blame the motorcycle alarm.)

So, let's see what this... Binarybeer has to say on the subject (I think I can almost have written it for him, I think I know where he stands...

He first quotes the following comment I earlier made:

"In case you chose to forget, this was an 18-month situation that the player base concocted which abjectly destroyed game balance, was clearly against the rules, and could almost be construed as a degree of court-actionable fraud vs. Square-Enix or the players who actually (and I know this must shock you to believe some actually still do) play the game legitimately."

(Emphasis his.)

To wit, he responds:

"douche"

The entire extent of his post. Wondrous and complete in his disregard for the truth of the statement, offering no acceptable counter-point except the pro-cheater ways and means of much of the (especially American) FFXI player-base.

Basically, I understand what's going on in the blogosphere -- truth by consensus. It's not a matter of whether you're right, it's a matter of having all the bodies behind you so you can be the one left when the other up and quits.

Nice try. To explain my comment which you totally could not answer, I wish to make another statement that I was planning to make tonight, was going to hold off, and then decided to after reading your tripe:

The only difference between the Salvage-dupers and RMT is that RMT actually gets RL money out of the transaction all of the time. The only Salvage-dupers who did were RMT on top of it.

Otherwise, the Salvage-dupers you and most of the people I've read support are no better than RMT and should be scorned the same way.

What I said in the comment was that the Salvage-dupers:

a) Destroyed game balance. They chose to commit the equivalent of hacking the drop rates for Salvage gear. What they did, by exploiting the code error, was no different than actually going in and changing the code. That's why the rule exists against exploiting code errors, and the players involved...

b) Broke the rules of the game as a result, and, in what he really must've LOL'ed at...

c) Committed what could almost be considered a court-actionable fraud against Square-Enix.

I said it. I meant it.

Here's my thesis: Square-Enix has an amount of proprietary virtual company property it allows its players to use in the game "Final Fantasy XI", in exchange for the "rent" of the monthly fee for their characters and their abidance by the rules Square-Enix sets.

Square-Enix, through these rules (which includes all the drop rates and such), sets the parameters under which they will allow the use of such proprietary virtual property by the players, and the parameters under which they can be gained.

In an RMT situation, the people are illegally selling proprietary virtual company property which still belongs to Square-Enix. That is why RMT is illegal. Square-Enix does not authorize the sale of such things unless they are part of promotional items (the Tidal Talisman, the FanFest/VanaFest items, etc.) that Square-Enix provides themselves. No one else has authorization to do that, certainly not a bunch of RMT people.

The Salvage-dupers are no better, the only difference is that non-RMT Salvage-dupers weren't getting real-life money for their affairs. The Salvage-dupers committed acts, and knowingly committed acts, which denied the legal rights of Square-Enix to control it's proprietary virtual property.

That is fraud. And the question then becomes if money damage becomes involved through that, and that is not implausible. So I contend that the Salvage-dupers definitely defrauded Square-Enix (just like RMT) and may have done so in a way that could be actionable in a court of law.

Oh, and to Binarybeer, this "douche" would like to ask you a personal question:

Who runs this game: You, or Square-Enix?