#1 - May 14, 2008, 6:20 p.m.
We have also discussed the matter at length in this thread:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=6440944962&pageNo=4&sid=1#65
Q u o t e:
Q u o t e:
Can you please differentiate wintrading from point buying/selling?
Sure can!
Win trading is a form of collusion that undermines the integrity of the arena system by which one team intentionally queues against another with a pre-determined outcome. This is direct exploitation of the arena system, and is considered to be cheating. It is often practiced by those that wish to artificially inflate team or personal ratings. It is also often exploited by those that sell arena points to maintain team ratings in the wake of selling points.
Point and team selling are completely different from win-trading (though they may benefit from it in some cases). Point selling involves adding players to a team and allowing them to play the minimum necessary games to accrue arena points for the week. Team selling involves getting a team to a high rating, and then transferring leadership of that arena team to another player with some cost of in-game currency. Neither of these practices will be very effective now that 2.4.2 has arrived. This is because a player whose rating is 150 points or more lower than the team rating will gain arena points based on their personal rating, and not the team rating.
Q u o t e:
Further can you define what the basis was for suspension/banning? Is your policy to simply remove all gear and suspend/ban any person who has been on a team that win traded? Regardless of whether that individual was on the team when the actions took place?
No, we will not be revealing how 'win traders' were identified, as we certainly do not want to introduce methods by which these players will attempt to avoid detection. I realize that can be frustrating, but that's just the way it is.
As has been stated repeatedly, if you were actioned over the course of this sweep, and feel that action was in error, then please reply to the email that you were sent on the subject, or send an email from your account's registered email address to wowaccountadmin@blizzard.com to dispute the action. It is not wise to do so if you were in fact win-trading however.
Q u o t e:
Without question Blizzard has known about win trading since the advent of arenas - why the delay in such a simple fix (ie 2.4.2)?
Developmental solutions take time to implement, and while we've been tracking win-trading for some time, and have indeed actioned it in the wake of Season 2, the value of the most recent changes needed to be weighed against the impact that they might have on players that were not exploiting the system.
Q u o t e:
Why are account actions taken immediate but the response and resolution to the account action so lengthy? Can you verify that the staff to handle the thousands of complaints was put in place prior to the action to completely, expediently and fairly review EVERY situation? How will this influx affect all other issues unrelated to this matter, particularly if no additional staff was assigned?
My apologies, but there is much that you do not, and will not, know about how this situation was investigated and actioned. The account actions were not taken lightly, nor 'immediately', and each is the result of extensive research over a long period of time. Does this mean that human error was entirely absent? No, but it does mean that the majority of those protesting and submitting disputes currently will find to their dismay that attempting to 'shout down' this account action will be ineffective in the face of the facts.
The same staff that investigated these situations initially will also be handling the disputes related to the situation, and these matters will be handled completely and appropriately as they are received.
Q u o t e:
Assuming Blizzard has even the tiniest regard for it's customer base, why was the following not considered?
* Account notice sent to a customer stating they are suspected of win trading and pending the investigation may be subject to some sanction? Allow those toons to undertake the process of defending themselves BEFORE the action is taken? Instead of issuing thousands of suspensions/bans and effectively preventing competent review by your staff - and having to force legitimate customers to not only be denied the service they pay for but have to prove their innocence to a crime they have been convicted of without trial?
We have great regard for our players, actually, which is why this action was undertaken - to promote a fair and enjoyable arena environment for those that participate, and to censure those that exploited this system. Your tone suggests that the majority, or even a significant percentage of those actioned were innocent. Flatly, this just isn't true.
All account actions are applied the same way, however, and there has never, ever been a situation where a player was 'accused' and then offered the opportunity to defend their actions. The gross inefficiencies of such a system should not have to be explained.
This is a not a court of law, and there is no due process. If your account raises suspicions to such a high degree that it prompts an investigation, and if that investigation shows that activities against our policies were taking place, then action will be taken. We do offer a means to have an account penalty reviewed however, by disputing the matter with our Account Administration department. That is the long and the short of it. That is how it has always been, and I fully expect that account actions will continue to be applied this way in the future.
Regardless, our staff will continue to review these issues completely and competently.
Q u o t e:
It is my opinion that Blizzard has handled this situation with all the delicacy of a dictator/drug dealer. Fair enough I guess, but is that really the image Blizzard wants to advertise to it's customer base?
How about it Blizz?
A dictator? Well, I suppose that's fair, if you consider that the actions taken are those of a benevolent dictator. A drug dealer? Not so much.
Our goal is to provide the best possible experience for all our players, and we do so by making rules and policies, and then subsequently enforcing them. You seem to have some very strange ideas about how we should be doing so based on real life legal systems. That analogy fails, in that in life, absolute evidence is extremely difficult to come by. In World of Warcraft, irrefutable evidence is quite accessible, and moreover, it is a game. It is a game that has rules, and when a player opts to play World of Warcraft, they agree to abide by those rules.
We have enforced those rules in a manner that enhances the effectiveness of the penalty. It really is just that simple
