Before people start going crazy over such a novel suggestion, I just want to say that I am in no way, shape or form accusing any player/guild/server of using hacks or exploits. I am merely stating that, given the abundance of proof that has been shown, some action should be taken.
I’ll start off with a message to ANet. You do very few things by ignoring this hacking issue, and we can all acknowledge there is one. By ignoring the reports, and even locking the threads reporting the hacks, in many ways you show players that hackers will not be punished for their actions. This leads to the obvious result that players, knowing from reading forums they will not be punished, download hacks and use them. The second thing you do is drive players away from WvW, one of the major selling points, at least IMO, of the game. And once WvW is deserted, I’m guessing that the hacks won’t go away, but will instead be transferred to PvE and ruin that as well.
Now I want to suggest a way to fix this issue. I may not have a ton of experience, but I do have a little common sense (clearly not a lot, or I wouldn’t make this thread).
Step 1: If you have not already, add a clause into the Terms of Service stating something along the lines of “3rd Party Modifications that provide a clear and unfair advantage over other players are not permitted, and those found using said modifications will have their accounts suspended indefinitely” or something along those lines.
Step 2: Actually enforce the rule. If an ANet member sees a player using hacks, then they should ban them, regardless of their prior history in terms of purchases and amount of time they have spent on the game. Players should be treated the same when it comes to following rules, regardless of who they are.
Step 3: Once word gets out that ANet is banning players who use hacks, add a section to the forums where players can report hackers. Only allow reports that involve viable proof, in the form of either recordings or screenshots. Those who accuse other players without proof should be warned, and if they do it again action should be taken. The players have shown that we would like to help rid the game of the hackers, but the hostile responses and thread locks that greet each thread reporting a hacker, even those with proof, discourage such action.
Step 4: Add another new section to the forums and a new Title to the game as well. The title should be something that players will recognize as stating that user can discern what hacks are, and also has the capability to report hackers, and has done so before. The new section will be where players can apply for this title, but before they are eligible for it they should have a certain number of confirmed hacker reports under their belt. This does two things. The first is that it encourages players to report what they think may be hacks, as a Title in this game is a status symbol. The other thing it will do is reduce the amount of hackers when a player with the title is in the area. I can basically discern this from the fact that, when a member of ANet logs on with the tag up, hackers suddenly vanish. Yet, when they are gone, they pop up again.
Step 5: ???? (Bad Joke is Bad)
Step 6: Profit. And I actually mean this could have a positive impact on game revenue in many ways. The first way is that the hackers, after having their accounts suspended, might choose to return to the game after purchasing a new account. In my opinion, these players should be banned if they are discovered to have made a new account to get around a ban, but that is ANet’s decision. The second is that WvW will be fun again, which will lead to word spreading of GW2. I am aware GW2 just released in China, and I think this would help there more than in NA or EU due to the fact the game is still growing. If new players log in and are killed by hackers, they will most likely not refer the game to friends.
That’s my 6 step plan. In my opinion, it is worth a shot. There is something I wasn’t sure would be good, but wanted to add anyway.
-A player is rewarded for reporting a hacker with usable proof. A reward of 1s (or suggestions) for a report, regardless of outcome, and 5s (or suggestions) for a report that results in a hacker being banned.
I also wanted to say one thing. Please, if you do take what I say into consideration, make it abundantly clear that under no circumstances will a player be unbanned for using a 3rd Party modification/hacks unless they provide proof that they were not using hacks at the time, via video and/or screenshot of their own. Please do not sell “Unban Packages” or anything of the sort. Lastly, please take what the players and I say into consideration.
And to the players, please don’t devolve this thread into mindless flame. While, under certain circumstances, I do love me some mindless flame, I actually would like to hear legitimate feedback from you guys.
Are not the “nice”