Anti Bot Measures/Update from Sarah

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

I just relized I must be part of the 2%, and I have never botted. But I make way more then 3k a week per account.

3k a week is just 6 hours of game play a week doing jam....... Some weeks I can do that in one day. People that make lots more on jobs will only be able to go to work a few times a week. It takes a few minutes to shop what are we to do the rest of the week? Find a new game to play I guess.

I am saving up for a lot that cost over 36k. How is that going to happen now? With your plan I don't see me ever getting that kind of money. (Our neighborhood in BF is doomed. The merge messed it up and we can't all join since we are so far apart. I keep trying to make money and buy lots so the hood will grow so others waiting for it to grow can join.)

Course in the mean time I have also been saving and buying CC I am glad I just paid for and got my order of 10 cc chairs at comfort 10 that special order cost me 10k.

I have a feeling way too much time was put in to this crazy idea. I am sure not one dev thought this would go over well with us players. But then who cares about the players we are just a bunch of complainers. I hope the new players that come along to replace us will not complain so much.

This plan also protects the large apple sellers. The money they make does not count against them. What makes anyone think the apple sellers are really spending much time with money objects. Heavens these are the people that will really be able to make real money on ealand. They will have all the ebucks to sell back at the atms then that interaction happens. Make me think some of the devs own a ton of apples trees.

[/ QUOTE ]

The 3000 is your pool size, it is not a weekly thing.
To work out what you going to be able to earn you need to look at the 500 EA gives back to your pool each week.
For example you in the 1st week make the 3k in the 6 hours you say you make it in. your pool is then empty, $0 in the pool.
At the start of the next week EA puts 500 back in your pool, you now have 500 in your pool, not 3000 again.
Plus likely as the payouts are calculated on the lower your pool gets you will still have lower payouts right at the start of that week as you still only have 500 left in your pool.
I am saying this because this is worse than most people seem to think it is.
Everybody seems to be working on 3k a week when the 3k is only the initial pool.
500 is really all they are allowing to make above what we spend.

 

[imported_Dali Dalinza]

*TTL*

The SIGNIFICANT component you all need to understand is that BOT BEHAVIOR will count towards your cap. If you act like a bot, you will be treated like a bot -- and the cap will hit you where it hurts most. If you earn money, but act like a player (socializing, working a job, traveling to various houses -- all those things normal players do) your cap will likely not be an issue. Or so the theory goes.

Non-bot behavior GOOD. Bot behavior -- BAD. (AJ -- where are you? Your hour has come!)

Pizza playing alone in your house with your own accounts, never getting out, never chatting...beware the cap, it is lowering for you.

Or at least that is what I am getting from what Greg is addressing.

 

[Guest]

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<blockquote><hr>

just do one of the things that puts money back into the pool, and voila, you have more money you can make.

[/ QUOTE ]

And what might that be?

Doing the tango with a bear? Talking in room chat? Firing my cannon at Donavan? Whisper in an avatars ear?

We dont know yet.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is what it says things that credit our pool are:

<blockquote><hr>

You credit your Payout Pool through activities such as buying objects, uploading custom content, buying a lot, etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

Since uploading custom content is among the list, and I'd already pulled out my TS1 disks to learn cc but never loaded them or took the time to fiddle with the transmogrifier, this might be the incentive to do so. This is also another reason I can't buy into the notion that purchasing objects from a store lot won't work as spending money 'pool-wise' because custom content *cannot* be bought from the catalog, only from other players so why would they encourage players to upload custom content and then turn around and say nobody could sell it and have it count toward moneymaking....again, from a purely logical standpoint it doesn't make sense.

 

[Guest]

It says UPLOADING custom content. When you do that, it costs you money.

Why do you think stores are not needed? We cant buys good stuff from the catalog. We need stores.

The store money wont count. Or Ill sell Donavan a 3k CC I make daily, and he will do the same. They cant tell me how much to price my objects for. And they cant tell me how much to charge for a buffet.

You are just grasping for air on this issue. They want your income to go to EA.

 

[TrustMeInc]

This will not discourage people using a bot programs to make money. Look at the math. It only effects people with one account like me who doesn't cheat.

Most people using a bot program has to have 4 accounts to do Pizza for example.

4 accounts that is 32 sims.

First 4 sims = 12,000 x 28 sims left = 336,000 per week.

So please tell me how this will fix the bot problem... lol Please they just want people to use ATM.

This whole change is crap. Fix the bot problem lmao.

1,344,000 a month lol

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

*TTL*

The SIGNIFICANT component you all need to understand is that BOT BEHAVIOR will count towards your cap. If you act like a bot, you will be treated like a bot -- and the cap will hit you where it hurts most. If you earn money, but act like a player (socializing, working a job, traveling to various houses -- all those things normal players do) your cap will likely not be an issue. Or so the theory goes.

Non-bot behavior GOOD. Bot behavior -- BAD. (AJ -- where are you? Your hour has come!)

Pizza playing alone in your house with your own accounts, never getting out, never chatting...beware the cap, it is lowering for you.

Or at least that is what I am getting from what Greg is addressing.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly, which is why Luc probably said that it would only affect 2% of the players. Even without bots I don't know of very many people at all who lock themselves in their houses and play pizza or code for more than 2 or 3 green cycles in a row. I did it the other night for 3 green cycles and after the 3rd one I was so bored I HAD to go find another house to hang out at for a while. Anti-social behavior is just not going to be rewarded anymore, which again is a GOOD thing, IMO. Players will now go out of their way to talk in chat in money houses, and even in skill houses though I've been lucky and in TC3 haven't found a whole lot of the afk epidemic to the level that there wasn't *anybody* to hold a conversation with while skilling when I wanted to.

There are still a few *unknowns* in my own mind regarding this set up, but there's no way those are going to become *knowns* until we experience it ourselves or somebody who does the testing can come here and post about it....assuming that some of the players will accept what other players find. I'd imagine if on Wednesday or Thursday I post my findings players like the one that asked me if I worked for EA would start incinuating or flat out stating that I'd lie for them

. Nevertheless, I will report what I find, whether it proves me right or wrong.

 

[Guest]

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It says UPLOADING custom content. When you do that, it costs you money.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes Aqua, but if you're going to upload it, unless it is for personal use, you'd presumably turn around and sell it, right? EA has stated in the past that they WANT players to do that!

<blockquote><hr>

Why do you think stores are not needed? We cant buys good stuff from the catalog. We need stores.

The store money wont count. Or Ill sell Donavan a 3k CC I make daily, and he will do the same. They cant tell me how much to price my objects for. And they cant tell me how much to charge for a buffet.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've already conceded that this is a loophole in that aspect, but yes they *can* tell you that selling a 3k toilet or a 3k urinal is an exploit and pop you for it, so if you try it and it happens, don't be surprised.

<blockquote><hr>

You are just grasping for air on this issue. They want your income to go to EA.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not grasping at anything, I am holding on to my hope and optimism until it is proven that is for naught. And I am getting pretty fed up with people trying to make something bad or wrong out of that.

 

[Guest]

There is another thread where people are already getting low payouts.

And must I whip this out again.

That was during our only round of pizza. And we do interations at the table and we room chat.

The system in place thinks we are bots. I dont trust that people who do not use money objects know what a bot does.

Look at the skills of the devolopers avatars. THEY DONT PLAY. unless we are back at the glorified chatroom game.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

I've already conceded that this is a loophole in that aspect, but yes they *can* tell you that selling a 3k toilet or a 3k urinal is an exploit and pop you for it, so if you try it and it happens, don't be surprised.

[/ QUOTE ]

Read the rest. I said I could whip up a $100 CC image and sell it for 3k. And a friend could do the same for me.

They cant tell me how much I can sell MY content for.

And dont worry, I can find a new avatar to trade buys from every time I need to do it.

Store buying wont count towards credits.

You can optimist till you turn blue, It wont change that loophole. So they wont allow it.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

There is another thread where people are already getting low payouts.

And must I whip this out again.

That was during our only round of pizza. And we do interations at the table and we room chat.

The system in place thinks we are bots. I dont trust that people who do not use money objects know what a bot does.

Look at the skills of the devolopers avatars. THEY DONT PLAY. unless we are back at the glorified chatroom game.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wonder how it work on multi player money objects like pizza.
If one player has already used up all there credit in their pool, does that mean that no one in the team will get paid.
Is this what this picture is, can the poster please tell us if this just continued even after a decent break. That is with the same 4 players I mean.

 

[Guest]

People have already said that an individual will get less than the others.

That was for pizza and job pay.

People in TC have already been hit by the measure. And its only been in for 2 days.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

There is another thread where people are already getting low payouts.

And must I whip this out again.

That was during our only round of pizza. And we do interations at the table and we room chat.

The system in place thinks we are bots. I dont trust that people who do not use money objects know what a bot does.

Look at the skills of the devolopers avatars. THEY DONT PLAY. unless we are back at the glorified chatroom game.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes but that was posted earlier in the week before this even started happening.....that's overwork penalty which is a whole other can of worms. I do hope maybe, just maybe since they are imposing this cap that it will negate the resaoning behind OWP, so that at least while people are earning the 3000 they can earn they don't have to deal with the cap *and* OWP. But if they don't, then it will just take longer to earn the 3000 and one of the biggest complaints has been "It only takes a day or two to make 3k, what are we supposed to do for the rest of the week. If it takes longer then there will be less dead time during the week, right? So yeah, I do hope they do away with overwork penalty on one hand, but can see the reasoning behind deciding not to. Basically they are in a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation.....somebody, somewhere is gonna complain....and loudly.

 

[Guest]

The OWP is an anti-bot measure.

It is in the same can of worms. They told us OWP would not affect normal players.

That is my picture we got 4 of those 0 payouts. We only did one round.

I dont trust this new idea.

 

[Guest]

well over on tc3 i cant make any money, jobs and money lots are no go, boards are 1 simolean at 19 logic and work is still 10 sims out of 260: so I'm creating new sims. A sim with no logic and mech can make more at level 0 in the robot factory than I can at level 9, also a sim with no logic can make more on boards than I can. According to the blog I'm in the 2% bracket, so I have to wait a week before I can get 3k to attempt to stock my shop (have 26k outstanding and 268k waiting for a stable evironment) and repair everything in my service lot. And a word out to the people that are pissd because I closed and werent nice in pms, sorry not my fault.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

The OWP is an anti-bot measure.

It is in the same can of worms. They told us OWP would not affect normal players.

That is my picture we got 4 of those 0 payouts. We only did one round.

I dont trust this new idea.

[/ QUOTE ]

*sigh*

I give up. If you want to predict gloom and doom without any evidence to back it up except for past behavior, then go for it, just as I refuse to get upset and scream "DAMN YOU EA" until I see plain proof in the numbers that there is something to get pissed about. OWP is not new so I don't consider that compelling evidence. The rate for OWP would have to go wayyyyy up for it to be tied to this new measure. I've only been lucky enough to get a team with a good enough caller to even GET OWP 3 times I think in the last few months. The other times I've been stuck with low-skilled sims and average callers, and even with OWP I've never had a 0 payout pizza even with the low-skilled sims. I'm not saying it didn't happen to you, but whoever was leading your table must have been a DAMN good caller to hit a 0 payout large supreme.

 

[TrustMeInc]

<blockquote><hr>

well over on tc3 i cant make any money, jobs and money lots are no go, boards are 1 simolean at 19 logic and work is still 10 sims out of 260: so I'm creating new sims. A sim with no logic and mech can make more at level 0 in the robot factory than I can at level 9, also a sim with no logic can make more on boards than I can. According to the blog I'm in the 2% bracket, so I have to wait a week before I can get 3k to attempt to stock my shop (have 26k outstanding and 268k waiting for a stable evironment) and repair everything in my service lot. And a word out to the people that are pissd because I closed and werent nice in pms, sorry not my fault.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yea they trying to close this game down I think or something. I dont see how a skill house will be able to stay open making 3k a week lol.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

well over on tc3 i cant make any money, jobs and money lots are no go, boards are 1 simolean at 19 logic and work is still 10 sims out of 260: so I'm creating new sims. A sim with no logic and mech can make more at level 0 in the robot factory than I can at level 9, also a sim with no logic can make more on boards than I can. According to the blog I'm in the 2% bracket, so I have to wait a week before I can get 3k to attempt to stock my shop (have 26k outstanding and 268k waiting for a stable evironment) and repair everything in my service lot. And a word out to the people that are pissd because I closed and werent nice in pms, sorry not my fault.

[/ QUOTE ]

Umm, question... if this cap if for the ACCOUNT, how would creating new sims give you an advantage in making more money?? It would stand to reason that if this were for the whole account, once you've bottomed out on payouts, all your sims would bottom out with the same low payouts. Please, post here if creating new sims actually does make more money... inquiring minds want to know!!!

 

[imported_Dali Dalinza]

<blockquote><hr>

This will not discourage people using a bot programs to make money. Look at the math. It only effects people with one account like me who doesn't cheat.

Most people using a bot program has to have 4 accounts to do Pizza for example.

4 accounts that is 32 sims.

First 4 sims = 12,000 x 28 sims left = 336,000 per week.

So please tell me how this will fix the bot problem... lol Please they just want people to use ATM.

This whole change is crap. Fix the bot problem lmao.

1,344,000 a month lol


[/ QUOTE ]

The cap is PER ACCOUNT, not per sim.

And yeah, they want us to buy money from them. That is crystal clear on many fronts.

 

[Guest]

Yup, he/she is good, and I aint saying the name. He/she is all mine!

I read what the person in charge of this thing is telling us. If we have to wait and see, then that person does not know how her own creation works....

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

well over on tc3 i cant make any money, jobs and money lots are no go, boards are 1 simolean at 19 logic and work is still 10 sims out of 260: so I'm creating new sims. A sim with no logic and mech can make more at level 0 in the robot factory than I can at level 9, also a sim with no logic can make more on boards than I can. According to the blog I'm in the 2% bracket, so I have to wait a week before I can get 3k to attempt to stock my shop (have 26k outstanding and 268k waiting for a stable evironment) and repair everything in my service lot. And a word out to the people that are pissd because I closed and werent nice in pms, sorry not my fault.

[/ QUOTE ]

Umm, question... if this cap if for the ACCOUNT, how would creating new sims give you an advantage in making more money?? It would stand to reason that if this were for the whole account, once you've bottomed out on payouts, all your sims would bottom out with the same low payouts. Please, post here if creating new sims actually does make more money... inquiring minds want to know!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Maybe....but if somebody has more than one account, they could make money on the other accounts. A person with 4 accounts would then have a cap of 12,000 a week instead of 3,000. Maybe instead of trying to close the game down EA is trying to get people to invest in more accounts......novel idea LOL.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

well over on tc3 i cant make any money, jobs and money lots are no go, boards are 1 simolean at 19 logic and work is still 10 sims out of 260: so I'm creating new sims. A sim with no logic and mech can make more at level 0 in the robot factory than I can at level 9, also a sim with no logic can make more on boards than I can. According to the blog I'm in the 2% bracket, so I have to wait a week before I can get 3k to attempt to stock my shop (have 26k outstanding and 268k waiting for a stable evironment) and repair everything in my service lot. And a word out to the people that are pissd because I closed and werent nice in pms, sorry not my fault.

[/ QUOTE ]

Umm, question... if this cap if for the ACCOUNT, how would creating new sims give you an advantage in making more money?? It would stand to reason that if this were for the whole account, once you've bottomed out on payouts, all your sims would bottom out with the same low payouts. Please, post here if creating new sims actually does make more money... inquiring minds want to know!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

different accounts

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

Yup, he/she is good, and I aint saying the name. He/she is all mine!

I read what the person in charge of this thing is telling us. If we have to wait and see, then that person does not know how her own creation works....

[/ QUOTE ]

So then you're gonna have to trust her at her word for now until you have first-hand evidence to refute it. Maybe we can't see *now* what she's talking about but what I'm seeing in this thread is that some people think she is full of beans without even having given it time to test it out to SEE if she is. The only reason we have to wait and see is because some people are unwilling to take her, and Luc and Greg, at their words.......that's the problem.

 

[Guest]

*points up

That guy making $1 on a money object is enough evidence for me. I take pics in case people dont trust my word.

I am sure glad that more players do not read the blog and stratics. The developers posts would cause numerous accounts to be closed.

 

[Aelisa]

I play pizza with myself and my 4 sims quite a bit because it's fun and I make pretty good money (I don't use bots).

I'm not much of a social butterfly so I don't hang out a whole lot, except when I need to skill, or to do some money objects just for the hec of it. If I am in the mood to be social I go to the places where I know a few people and socialize a little bit.

Once in a blue moon I work the waitress job.

I check out the stores once in a while to see if there's anything interesting, but I don't spend much of the money unless I come across something I really want (which is a rare occurence).

When I did find what I wanted, I had the money to purchase because I held on to the funds I made. When I finally did go on a meaningful shopping trip I was able to buy what I really wanted: a cannon, a St. Bernard and a grass lot with 3 sides of water. Those three things cost close to a total of $240 smackers, $60k of which went back into the economy because it was the price of the lot I bought. I keep saving what I make so that when something comes up I can go on another buying binge some day.

So anyway, what I'm getting at is this: I'm thinking maybe my game play might fall into that suspicious 2% category because I'm not, "engaging in other aspects of the game" much, and my suspicious behavior bugs me... in that it could actually be considered suspicious behavior AND/OR a problem. I don't like that; I'm just playing the way I enjoy playing.

 

[Guest]

Yea they trying to close this game down I think or something. I dont see how a skill house will be able to stay open making 3k a week lol.

i cant exactly say why, but i have had the feeling for a long time, that they never really intended for ealand to make it lol think they wanted online sims to quietly go away, so they create a diff game from it and bomb it

slam me if you will...its just a gut feelin lol

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

*TTL*

If it is true that we get points (towards our "cap") for doing all those things that botters don't -- making friends, interacting, chatting -- that makes sense. One person at the meeting said that this information would only encourage the bot programmers to create programs that would include socializing, skilling, making purchases -- to which I had to reply if that happened it would mean botters were playing the game as it was intended to be played. I don't think EA would have a problem with THAT kind of bot!

[/ QUOTE ]I haven't read through this whole thread, so I don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but - yes, Greg confirmed that there is a lot more to adding to your "pool" than just buying things. If you like to sit in your own house for hours and hours and hours doing nothing more than making pizza and greening with three of your alts, then - yes, you will probably be affected by the cap. If, however, you're like most Meeps, and go out and about, going to work, visiting other houses, playing host at your own house, socialize, make friends, etc - basically any of the things that bots typically cannot do, then you will probably never see your cap.

The best thing we all can do right now is go to TC3 and test the hell out of this system and try to break it. The devs will monitor what happens and adjust accordingly.

Given all that I've seen about this in the Town Hall, I am guardedly optimistic about this system.

 

[Creed84]

<blockquote><hr>

As posted on the blog:

Anti-Bot Measures
Posted in Economy by Sarah on the April 4th, 2008
We’re starting to test a feature on TC3 that aims to help us to crack down on bot AND bot-like behavior, while not affecting the vast vast majority of players in any way.

Here’s how it works:

Summary

Each account can only earn a ‘reasonable’ sum of money from us (and you can earn as much as you want from other players).

What’s ‘reasonable’?

Well, we consider that 98% of the populations of EA-Land and TC3 have been earning a very reasonable amount but that some of the remaining 2% are suspicious. Others in that 2% are simply draining money through Pizza, and the like, and not engaging in other aspects of the game.

We will give users an initial credit for what they can earn, then we’ll give them an additional credit each week and the users themselves can accumulate credit by contributing to the game through activities such as buying objects, uploading custom content, buying a lot, etc. Activities such as using money objects and getting kickbacks from others using your money objects will reduce your credit. If the credit ever gets very low (and for most people it should never) you will get increasingly reduced payouts until you accumulate more credit, through your own activity or through that weekly boost.

Again, we’ve been keeping track and had we turned this on when we first opened EA-Land, it would not have affected 98% of players in any way at all and we’ll work to keep it that way.

Details From Your Perspective:

Your account (set of characters) has a “Payout Pool” associated with it.
Your Payout Pool is given an initial credit of 3,000
This is how much money your characters can earn until you or we contribute back to that pool.
We will give every account some amount of credit per week into their Payout Pool. It’s 500 for now but we’ll be keeping an eye on what it should be so that people essentially do not need to be concerned about their Payout Pool at all. You will not be able to access your Payout Pool balance and we may turn on/off this feature (during events, etc.).
You credit your Payout Pool through activities such as buying objects, uploading custom content, buying a lot, etc.
You debit your Payout Pool through activities such as jobs, using money objects, and getting kickbacks from others using your money objects.
Player to player activities such as using tip jars, secure trade, the interaction “Give Money”, door charges, etc., do not contribute to, or deduct from, your Payout Pool.
If your Payout Pool ever gets very low your payouts will decrease slowly until its balance is increased again through either your activities or the credits mentioned above.
Overall this feature is intended to safeguard us, and you, from the effect of bot-like activity in the game, and it will act as a safety net, allowing us to experiment more (with our dynamic market and payouts, for example).

[/ QUOTE ]

Um erm eh.. what??? sorry but ounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to make it look like something is actually being done, That said, I dont care about the people who ot. If I am running a money lot and i see someone is botting , I kick them. But other than that..the measely payouts objects and jobs have im sure pretty much affected botters. How about doing somethings that will make my finger move away from the cancel subscription than towards it more? Seems like really someone is wasting time on a personal peeve issue about botters and not something that will enhance and enrich the subscibers game experience. When i do click that cancel subscription dont worry not even going to waste my time with free subscription. BTW, repeatably Luc and Greg have personally stated they dont if there are players who bot, time and effort are better used elsewhere in development.

 

[Guest]

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Grrr, I wish you would show up at Town Hall! Getting a straight answer is like trying to catch a greased pig using a pancake turner. Answers have been given, but not anything satisfying. Obfuscation is alive and well. For a reason, no doubt.

[/ QUOTE ]True. Very true. Though it was a bit hard to hear the entire explanation with all the side-chatter going on (yes, I was guilty of that myself

)... But, yes, some obfuscation was necessary - and I won't go into any details as to why that is.

 

[Guest]

In case anyone missed it earlier:

The 3k is not set in stone - it will be tweaked and tuned if the limit isn't workable.

If you have already reached your 3k limit in TC3 then you need to feed it back and give details on what you've done and how you've reached it. Test it to see if after you've been doing other things - like skilling, shopping, visiting, hanging out with people, and see if you can earn more. Feed it back.

We're not going to be given a list of things that will count towards our pools, otherwise they might as well just write a handy "101 ways for botters to bypass the latest anti-bot measures", but our normal gameplay is different to that of botters and it should mean that this makes a difference to our "pool".

So once again, this new measure does not mean it will stay the way it is, but it does need to be tested.

Polly

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

This is another bad thing about this system, and it was said by Greg.

<blockquote><hr>

Someone asked Greg, "When we get this 3000 cap, if we spend it are we able to make more in that week?"

Greg replied: "Assuming that 3000 is the cap, <font color=red>and no activity has been done that refills it, </font color=red>that account would not be able to earn more, until whatever amount dribbled in."


[/ QUOTE ]

Once you make your cap you cant even make more even if it is spent?????

WTH is that? If I have a day that I can spend time making money, I blow the whole week?

[/ QUOTE ]You should have been to the Town Hall meeting; it might have cured you of your selective reading problem. See the part I highlighted in red.

 

[TrustMeInc]

<blockquote><hr>

In case anyone missed it earlier:

The 3k is not set in stone - it will be tweaked and tuned if the limit isn't workable.

If you have already reached your 3k limit in TC3 then you need to feed it back and give details on what you've done and how you've reached it. Test it to see if after you've been doing other things - like skilling, shopping, visiting, hanging out with people, and see if you can earn more. Feed it back.

We're not going to be given a list of things that will count towards our pools, otherwise they might as well just write a handy "101 ways for botters to bypass the latest anti-bot measures", but our normal gameplay is different to that of botters and it should mean that this makes a difference to our "pool".

So once again, this new measure does not mean it will stay the way it is, but it does need to be tested.

Polly

[/ QUOTE ]

You think you would work on other stuff then this if it only effect %2 of us why are 98 % of us crying about it...

Hmmm I wonder...

 

[Guest]

I have no selective reading problem.

Why do I need to play the game according to the developers script? A script that we are not allowed to see btw.

Again, there is a cap. I can dance with a bear all day and it will not change the 3k.

Assuming that 3000 is the cap, and no activity has been done that <font color=blue>refills</font color=blue> it,

I put the key word in blue, so you wont miss it.

It says refills, not increases. The cap stays at 3k according to what he said.

Any more reading tests for me?

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

Grrr, I wish you would show up at Town Hall! Getting a straight answer is like trying to catch a greased pig using a pancake turner. Answers have been given, but not anything satisfying. Obfuscation is alive and well. For a reason, no doubt.

[/ QUOTE ]True. Very true. Though it was a bit hard to hear the entire explanation with all the side-chatter going on (yes, I was guilty of that myself

)... But, yes, some obfuscation was necessary - and I won't go into any details as to why that is.

[/ QUOTE ]
"...some obfuscation was necessary " ??? (meaning someone *gasp* lied???)

What? we're too stupid to understand?
Or maybe we're not to be trusted?
Or maybe we would find out the truth?

Oh, and why even mention it if you can't go into detail? Showin' off???

Part of the in-crowd now, eh?

 

[imported_Dali Dalinza]

<blockquote><hr>

But, yes, some obfuscation was necessary - and I won't go into any details as to why that is.

[/ QUOTE ]
"...some obfuscation was necessary " ??? (meaning someone *gasp* lied???)

What? we're too stupid to understand?
Or maybe we're not to be trusted?
Or maybe we would find out the truth?

Oh, and why even mention it if you can't go into detail? Showin' off???

Part of the in-crowd now, eh?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nah. It means she didn't understand what Greg was saying -- or not saying, more like it -- either.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

This is another bad thing about this system, and it was said by Greg.

<blockquote><hr>

Someone asked Greg, "When we get this 3000 cap, if we spend it are we able to make more in that week?"

Greg replied: "Assuming that 3000 is the cap, <font color=red>and no activity has been done that refills it, </font color=red>that account would not be able to earn more, until whatever amount dribbled in."


[/ QUOTE ]

Once you make your cap you cant even make more even if it is spent?????

WTH is that? If I have a day that I can spend time making money, I blow the whole week?

[/ QUOTE ]You should have been to the Town Hall meeting; it might have cured you of your selective reading problem. See the part I highlighted in red.

[/ QUOTE ]

So spending over 60k drops me to earning 1 sim on a board, love that no activity, guess i need to up my spending to 120k per month

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

but our normal gameplay is different to that of botters

[/ QUOTE ]
Geez, I hate this kind of crap.
What is normal for some is not necessarily normal for anybody else.
Those of us who don't play the way the normal people do are forced to change our gameplay just to be treated as fairly as the "chosen ones".
And why.... because TPTB - oh, the hell with it - the DEVS do not have the imagination or the technical skills required to fix the friggin' problems.

This is no longer a game - it's a train wreck.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

You should have been to the Town Hall meeting; it might have cured you of your selective reading problem. See the part I highlighted in red.


[/ QUOTE ]
Maybe the Town Hall meeting *you* were at allowed more than 30 players on the lot.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

You think you would work on other stuff then this if it only effect %2 of us why are 98 % of us crying about it...

[/ QUOTE ]Ohhhh, I dunno... Could be because there are certain people here who derive great enjoyment in spreading FUD?

 

[Guest]

I'd keep replying but Aqualung is just saying everything I want to say a lot better than I would be wording it anyway.

April does not see much good that will come of this.

 

[Guest]

it would not have affected 98% of players in any way at all

Dam Im also 1 of the 2 % who is affected.

This suks

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

Why do I need to play the game according to the developers script? A script that we are not allowed to see btw.

[/ QUOTE ]You don't. You are always free to leave.

If you choose to remain, then you choose to play their game their way.

Does that clear things up for you?

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

Maybe the Town Hall meeting *you* were at allowed more than 30 players on the lot.

[/ QUOTE ]No, only 30. But for most of the time I was there, there were only 25-27 Meeps there.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

You think you would work on other stuff then this if it only effect %2 of us why are 98 % of us crying about it...

[/ QUOTE ]Ohhhh, I dunno... Could be because there are certain people here who derive great enjoyment in spreading FUD?

[/ QUOTE ]
Or perhaps it could be because there are certain people here who are too blinded by "DA" (Dev Adoration) that they can't see the Emperor is naked.

 

[imported_Trudymac]

I was at the meeting. Funny thing is, I still see some of the same issues that Aqualung and Donovan do.

Maybe one of the helpful cheer squad can diagnose me too?

Obviously I have some sort of deficiency if I don't play the Pollyanna role!

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

Maybe the Town Hall meeting *you* were at allowed more than 30 players on the lot.

[/ QUOTE ]No, only 30. But for most of the time I was there, there were only 25-27 Meeps there.

[/ QUOTE ]
You weren't paying attention, dear - I hovered outside for 20 minutes and it never wavered.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

But, yes, some obfuscation was necessary - and I won't go into any details as to why that is.

[/ QUOTE ]
"...some obfuscation was necessary " ??? (meaning someone *gasp* lied???)

What? we're too stupid to understand?
Or maybe we're not to be trusted?
Or maybe we would find out the truth?

Oh, and why even mention it if you can't go into detail? Showin' off???

Part of the in-crowd now, eh?

[/ QUOTE ]Showin' off? Me??? Where would you get a crazy idea like that???

<blockquote><hr>

Nah. It means she didn't understand what Greg was saying -- or not saying, more like it -- either.

[/ QUOTE ]No, it means that going into too much detail would be tantamount to giving the bot makers step-by-step instructions on how to defeat the system.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

Why do I need to play the game according to the developers script? A script that we are not allowed to see btw.

[/ QUOTE ]You don't. You are always free to leave.

If you choose to remain, then you choose to play their game their way.

Does that clear things up for you?

[/ QUOTE ]
I'll be damned - you're enjoying this.
You are enjoying the discomfort this is causing a large number of players.
All the crap you took for your pro-vigilante, anti-payout stance is now being paid back.

Revenge is sweet, eh Kat?

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

but our normal gameplay is different to that of botters

[/ QUOTE ]
Geez, I hate this kind of crap.
What is normal for some is not necessarily normal for anybody else.
Those of us who don't play the way the normal people do are forced to change our gameplay just to be treated as fairly as the "chosen ones".
And why.... because TPTB - oh, the hell with it - the DEVS do not have the imagination or the technical skills required to fix the friggin' problems.

This is no longer a game - it's a train wreck.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have no idea if my game play is normal. I hoard money, rarely spend anything. When I can be bothered I go to work at the factory, when I don't feel like working, I mooch around, skill a bit, code with my own sims, or sometimes just sit at home and watch my trees grow.

Pretty soon on one of my sims I'll never need to skill again. I have a size 8 lock chock full of stuff. I haven't yet got into creating CC and have no idea whether I'll be able to make anything half way good enough to upload. The only thing I would be likely to spend money on right now is CC from other sims.

If you think that I am too blinded by dev adoration to not be concerned about this new change, then you are completely wrong.

However, I'm not getting my knickers in a twist about it just yet, because its still in testing in TC3 and is nowhere near coming to EA-Land yet. If as Sarah says on the blog that this has been monitored for a while and based on that monitoring, 98% of the population have no need to worry about this, then there is clearly alot more to it then we know. If Sarah got it wrong and in TC3 its proved that 3k is way, way off the mark, then I have no doubt that it will be changed.

It is not in the dev's interests to piss off 98% of the playerbase to the extent that 98% of the playerbase decides to give up and leave, they are well aware of this.

Polly

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

Or perhaps it could be because there are certain people here who are too blinded by "DA" (Dev Adoration) that they can't see the Emperor is naked.

[/ QUOTE ]No, I see perfectly clearly. I am not jumping up and down waving my pom-poms here; in fact, I very clearly stated earlier in this thread that I have put them away for now.

But that doesn't mean I'm going to run around flailing my arms yelling that this sucks, either.

I am not generally given to taking a side one way or the other until I have sufficient information; and I won't have that until this thing has been tested for a while.

 

[Guest]

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

<blockquote><hr>

Maybe the Town Hall meeting *you* were at allowed more than 30 players on the lot.

[/ QUOTE ]No, only 30. But for most of the time I was there, there were only 25-27 Meeps there.

[/ QUOTE ]
You weren't paying attention, dear - I hovered outside for 20 minutes and it never wavered.

[/ QUOTE ]Well, that is a possibility. I just remembered, they never did fix that "stuck sim counter" bug from years and years ago...