Ya, I see where you're coming from, and I am not accusing anybody specifically of doing this. But yes, I have seen it run rampant in both the pvp and trammie guilds on my shard at least.
I do think the devs should have addressed this issue a long time ago. But the fact is they did not. They let it go until its to the point that it is now wide spread... and anybody who wants to know how to do it can find out pretty easily just by asking around.
Last time this happened, the devs admitted that it was unintended, and told people that they would be addressing it, but to enjoy it while it lasted. So the precedent has already been set, and at this point I think that the most fair course of action would be to do the same thing they did last time.
When it comes down to it, all this is really doing is helping people train skills. There are numberless "tricks" to gain skill... all of which are technically exploits. Gollems were not designed to be trained on... LRC suites were not designed to let players cast the same spell over and over standing in their house until they have GMd Magery, Necro, Spellweaving, or Mysticism. Horses and Tram were not made to be able to continuously use death strike on in order to gain Bushido. None of these are bannable, and they are all generally accepted methods of legitimately training a skill even though they were never designed this way.
What I am trying to say is that a sandbox game attracts people who want to try different ways to accomplish their goals, and a sandbox game gives multiple ways to its players. When you couple that with the fact that the devs knew about this mechanic, they did nothing about it, and they never actually condemned it... then no, I don not think people should be banned for this. I do think it should be fixed. But no, people should not be banned form the game for this. Again, the last time this happened (The method was the same, the action by the devs was the same, and the extended time of silence from the devs was the same) We were told that its ok... they would fix it, but we could enjoy it while it lasted. And that particular incedent could be repeated as many times as you wanted... there was no limit whatsoever. It also introduced an item into the game that was NEVER intended to be there. This one only introduces items that ARE meant to be in the game, and it can only be done a limited number of times each day.
When Doom was bugged and was dropping artis left and right, did they ban people for exploiting that? Nope. This is the exact same thing. People are using things as they were intended to get more then was intended. Thats it.
Again, I do think that this should be fixed... but as things stand now, the pattern has already been set, and I think the responsible thing to do would be to say "Yep, we screwed up, and we will fix it as soon as we can. Have fun while it lasts." This is how a business should treat its customers. It should not punish its customers because it failed to do its part.
Anyway, thats my point of view. And for the record I am still only doing this puzzle once per char. I dont mind that the market will be flooded. I think its great that I will be able to buy the scrolls I need, and trade the ones I dont to others who do need them. I also think that its great that this will not last forever, just kind of a nice little limited time bonus to training... Just like the blackrock events.
