For some reason, I'm the type of person that likes to push the limit in this game. Once again, I have crossed the line, forcing Mesanna no option other than to ban me. I honestly wasn't going to comment on this, because... well... it's embarrassing to say the least. But I feel I owe my community an explanation, so here it goes.
Just to thwart speculation, I am not and have never been a duper or scammer. The vast majority of my rares I purchased from other players. If you care to question this, ask anyone that knows me, and he or she will confirm this.
Though I can not go in to detail as to what sparked this investigation due to the being under Broadsword's NDA, I will say that I, as a hired contractor of Broadsword, abused my power for personal gain.
As of this post, the majority of my accounts have been permanently banned. And the vast vast majority of my rares (including 150+ unique items) have been seized by Mesanna. These have been confiscated for good and will likely never re-appear in-game. There was an enormous amount of history in my collection, and I feel terrible that it is potentially gone for good.
I let the community down, and I'm truly sorry for that. There's a point where collecting rares becomes more than a hobby and turns into an obsession. I don't know when that happened for me, but, at some point, it did, and I gave in to corruption in an effort to gain more items. As most of you know by now, I worked at EA (and other developers) over the past decade. This intimate connection to the development side of games has given me a whats-the-big-deal philosophy. But as Mesanna put it earlier, "cheating is cheating", and as much as it stings, I can't disagree with that. I would have banned me in any number of games where I was the lead producer.
More than anything, I feel terrible that I let Bonnie down. She has devoted her life to this game, and she puts her trust in very few people. I'm not the first to betray that trust, but I hope I am the last. I've worked on many games over the past decade, and I honestly can't remember meeting anyone other than Bonnie that, under unrelenting pressure, continues to wear every hat possible and show up every day to create an enjoyable experience that will live on for many more years.
I currently have 84 unread ICQs. If I don't respond to you, it's because I'm taking a break from UO, picking out tile for my new kitchen, spending more time outside than I normally do, and catching up on the last season and a half of The Walking Dead.
Cheers, peeps.
Just to thwart speculation, I am not and have never been a duper or scammer. The vast majority of my rares I purchased from other players. If you care to question this, ask anyone that knows me, and he or she will confirm this.
Though I can not go in to detail as to what sparked this investigation due to the being under Broadsword's NDA, I will say that I, as a hired contractor of Broadsword, abused my power for personal gain.
As of this post, the majority of my accounts have been permanently banned. And the vast vast majority of my rares (including 150+ unique items) have been seized by Mesanna. These have been confiscated for good and will likely never re-appear in-game. There was an enormous amount of history in my collection, and I feel terrible that it is potentially gone for good.
I let the community down, and I'm truly sorry for that. There's a point where collecting rares becomes more than a hobby and turns into an obsession. I don't know when that happened for me, but, at some point, it did, and I gave in to corruption in an effort to gain more items. As most of you know by now, I worked at EA (and other developers) over the past decade. This intimate connection to the development side of games has given me a whats-the-big-deal philosophy. But as Mesanna put it earlier, "cheating is cheating", and as much as it stings, I can't disagree with that. I would have banned me in any number of games where I was the lead producer.
More than anything, I feel terrible that I let Bonnie down. She has devoted her life to this game, and she puts her trust in very few people. I'm not the first to betray that trust, but I hope I am the last. I've worked on many games over the past decade, and I honestly can't remember meeting anyone other than Bonnie that, under unrelenting pressure, continues to wear every hat possible and show up every day to create an enjoyable experience that will live on for many more years.
I currently have 84 unread ICQs. If I don't respond to you, it's because I'm taking a break from UO, picking out tile for my new kitchen, spending more time outside than I normally do, and catching up on the last season and a half of The Walking Dead.
Cheers, peeps.