We were the Hutchie :
Thanks to Phalanx, we have a very detailed explanation of the sequence of events that have resulted in teams being banned from the game. If I’ve got this right, a few players discovered that the game gave them double RP’s if they put players to auction within a specific 5 minute window and these players then went on to use this discovery to dominate the Auction/Recruitment House. The bit I’m struggling with is that these players have now been banned and have been branded as “cheats”. This opportunity was open to every team to discover/exploit and I do not think that it is reasonable for any of us, least of all SN, to now decide that exploiting it was cheating.
This is actually an interesting question. It was my very first reaction too when I heard about it. It felt a little bit like the wages cheat. However Sweet Nitro take issue with anything that basically deprives them of money. Obviously making millions upon millions of RP means that teams can a) play for free and b) they don't have to spend money on gold to buy recruiter points or players to sell.
The other interesting thing about this entire affair is how we gauge what is right and wrong in the game. The game's terms and conditions are the only legal frame of reference for us as players and developer. The following are prohibited,
inter alia:
1) Multiple accounts. So anyone with 2 teams or more is in a state of noncompliance and the penalty is clearly stated that you have your account TERMINATED and the user excluded from the game.
2) Hacking other players' accounts.
3) Transferring accounts and resources (e.g. RP) between teams in a guild.
4) Sharing accounts.
5) Misuse of forums/chats (see their list of acceptable content and language).
6) Masking your ip address when making purchases.
7) The use of hacks, cheats, bots or any tool to give you an unfair competitive advantage.
8) Sharing cheat or hack information in the chat.
We have all tacitly agreed to these terms and conditions by signing up to the game and we had 14 days to withdraw consent to them and have our accounts deleted.
Interestingly there is no mention of refunds. In fact a consumer's right to make refunds on purchases made online is enshrined in law in most countries. Refundgate is, at its core, a matter of policy and procedure between Facebook and Sweet Nitro. The only time it can be construed as fraud is if the reason provided for the refund is manifestly false. But we've been down this rabbit hole at length and I apologised for my actions in this to you all and made good financially with SN.
It is clear that all the current rhetoric against Damage is purely manufactured and false as probably more than 50% of players have breached the terms and conditions of the game. People just throw the word cheat around arbitrarily to suit their own world view and agenda on the game.
Lastly, these tactics don't work against Damage, as we are as strong as ever. Too many people see through all the nonsense.
