For those of you who are not aware of this, please take some time to watch this video. It details the issue entirely and hopes to put in perspective likely how big an issue it actually is. After you have watched, I ask you please read my post below and contribute if you have the time. Thank you all so much for your help.
- The video contains strong language over the volatile nature of the issue. Don't watch if you are easily offended by this type of thing. -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g5a83ba0Y0
Hello everyone. Before we get started, I would like to say I have been subscribed since midnight of release of Classic WoW and am a huge fan of the game and everything it does. In an age where we have had people complain about having nothing to do in Cata and no one to do it with, then having people complain about now having too many non-mandatory repeatable quests and too many people in the world via CRZ, I have never found fault.
But this past Monday, January 28th 2013, my guild mates and I ran across an issue in this video game that we have never conceived possible in such a grand scale that it takes one aback.
The trip to Outland started because a guildmate was being camped by a level 90, so a few of us mobilized.
We met him in Falcon Watch but when we did, we noticed something strange... This was confirmed when some one said, "omg type /who hunter 80 and see the results."
Every single result was in Hellfire or Shattered Halls. Try it yourself, you likely will be as surprised as I was - considering we reside on quite a small realm where everyone knows everyone else, it was almost scary to see that level of exploitation.
I decided to press record from there and document the issue, so if you haven't watched the video, go see the proof yourself.
This isn't one bot...
This isn't a few afk bots in AV weekend...
This is HUNDREDS of level 80 hunters all on separate accounts appearing to run Shattered Halls over and over, then hearth and sell their bag contents.
What is even scarier is the fact that this is one instance of CRZ, yet we saw hundreds of different perpetrators. That leads me to believe this issue is MASSIVE and is happening thousands of occasions, and likely NOT just by some random dude looking to get some gold.
After all, individuals botting is one thing, and afking in BGs IS a serious issue - no doubts.
But after seeing this, can anyone honestly say this is some how less important?
This must be some company or group pooling their resources to achieve some intense exploit and make thousands of real life dollars at the games behest.
This appears to me to be a coordinated, malicious action; if as widespread as believed, MUST be considered a threat to the game's fabric and integrity.
Akin to a DDOS to take down servers tbh.
Either way, Outland - a symbol of one of everyone's favorite expansions - has been desecrated by this.
But Metro, what can I do?
All I ask is that everyone does what they can to spread the word. I had never heard of this, and I have done a LOT in this game, and record videos daily on WoW stuff.
I believe a lot more people would be up in arms if they only new, and then we would have action taken.
Even if they knew, why would they care?
I'm not sure if they are using an exploit to bypass the 5 dungeon per hour thing, but I have seen Ghostcrawler and others discuss this topic. It is in the game to PREVENT this, yet it is not working in this case.
On top of that, it is so immersion-breaking to see thousands of hunters (ALL IN THE SAME GEAR mind you) flood into an instance in content from 6 years ago.
It quite literally puts a bad taste in my mouth and makes me want to avoid the game.
Alright then smarty, what do you suggest is done...
Disable the instance. Plain and simple. It isn't involved in leveling queues, and while even more obtuse than the exploit, I feel it will send a message. These low-lifes will have to find an alternative, and once they do, you can use this data to better address the issue.
On a macro-scale, I honestly have no idea. What CAN be done?
Either way, thank you all for your time. Feel free to leave your feedback here. I know it may sound melodramatic, but this is a blatant abuse of a game I have spent years of my life in, and I can't simply let this go by without putting my foot down.
TLDR nerd:
Scroll of Rez 80 premade hunters grand-scale instance trafficking and gold farming. Obviously some coordinated events. Contribute by telling if your CRZ realm has same issue, and tell friends to help get issue brought to light and fixed.