Are Housing Tricks Exploits?

[Endrik]

Looking at all these posts on tricks you can do, I have to admit I have never seen a more blatent example of exploits, or abuse of game mechanics. Now Im not saying that anybody here should be banned... I actually think its amazing what some of these people have figured out how to do, and I think its great that we can do stuff like this. What Im concerned about is with the present state of GM policing, how long will it be before they start banning people for using these tricks to customize their house? Is this something we should be worried about? Obviously it does not give any kind of unfair game advantage, but the GMs of late have not needed logical or even good reasons for banning people. Just thought I would ask and see if anybody has been, or has heard of someone being banned for things like this.

 

[Patty Pickaxe]

The most I have heard of is a GM removing rubble from a player's house. He used gazas and rubble walls to build a 6 or 7 story house. He was not banned.

 

[Caelas]

Only reason he got all that rubble removed was because the house was in Luna and causing major lag when people ran by.

These tricks do not produce any advantage (other than eye-candy pixel crack) or disadvantage for players, they do not modify anything in the game to give anyone an edge on anything (except maybe keeping up with your pixel crack addicted neighbor)...so I'd say the chance of EA caring is slim. People have been decorating like this for years, there's been very popular websites dedicated to the art (crack) of decorating tricks...if something was going to happen...it would have.

All (save for a few stupid) bans have been because someone violated a rule that gave them an edge. Pretty houses give no edge to anyone.

The day EA bans people for decorating like we do, will be the day I go back to Warcraft.

Just my two gp.

 

[Desperado_SE]

...but the GMs of late have not needed logical or even good reasons for banning people.

Can you give examples of these bans that were done by GM's that didn't have "logical or even good reasons"? If so, I would love to see them so that I can point out why each one was banned and even direct you tot he rule that was broken in each case.

 

[Sarsmi]

Only reason he got all that rubble removed was because the house was in Luna and causing major lag when people ran by.

These tricks do not produce any advantage (other than eye-candy pixel crack) or disadvantage for players, they do not modify anything in the game to give anyone an edge on anything (except maybe keeping up with your pixel crack addicted neighbor)...so I'd say the chance of EA caring is slim. People have been decorating like this for years, there's been very popular websites dedicated to the art (crack) of decorating tricks...if something was going to happen...it would have.

All (save for a few stupid) bans have been because someone violated a rule that gave them an edge. Pretty houses give no edge to anyone.

The day EA bans people for decorating like we do, will be the day I go back to Warcraft.

Just my two gp.

If they start banning for decorating tricks that give no advantage for anyone then I'll quit UO. Housing and house related interests are what keep me here.

Anyways, people have been doing crazy junk with their houses for years. The only thing I can think people have gotten in trouble for is when they used tricks to get extra storage beyond what they should be able to have, when people banned the doors from their houses, and possibly when people would customize so that other players could get 'trapped' in their house, then kill them (this was before the remove from house option). Not even sure they banned for that last one either.

 

[Petra Fyde]

Almost all questionable bans are the result of someone submitting a GM page. Some people make a habit of using gullible GMs to fight their battles for them. I don't see house deco coming into this category very often, although Jeremiah's skyscrapper did. Also if my memory serves, I seem to remember occasional Dev comments on the subject have been favourable?

 

[Wilde1]

troll post, imo

 

[love2winalot]

Actually, it has been the exact opposite. OSI, an EA have actually praised the players, and even added stuff into the game based on what players had done with their houses. Remember several years back the house design contest they had?

If anything, they need to add more of the players ideas into housing......

 

[Kratos Aurion]

These tricks do not produce any advantage

My house eats people:bowdown:

 

[Nine Dark Moons]

My house eats people:bowdown:

that is an AWESOME visual

 

[Limlight]

possibly when people would customize so that other players could get 'trapped' in their house, then kill them (this was before the remove from house option). Not even sure they banned for that last one either.

I can guarantee they didnt ban for this...

:gun::gun:

 

[Skylark SP]

Also if my memory serves, I seem to remember occasional Dev comments on the subject have been favourable?

Cathat, the former lead graphic artist for UO, was a regular visitor here, and often praised the designs we showed off...I would think that if there were cause for concern from a developer standpoint with what he saw, he would have raised them internally at the least for "exploit" remedy.

When players found that the quest spider silk (rehued wool) could be spun and woven into HoM hued cloth, the devs said they were fixing the bug that allowed it, but we could enjoy the cloth that had already been made - they deemed it legal.

It would be nice if there would be a similar official sanction for the chopped stairs/add-ons, and goza stacking so we could just end the guess factor.

-Skylark