network penalty

[DeletedUser]

It is now no longer possible for players on the same internet connection to donate Forge Points to each other's Great Buildings.


This completely defeats the purpose I started to play the game. I got my wife to join and we worked in our guild to help each other with support and motivations. Now, because we use the same internet connection, we might as well just quit. Just sad.

 

[DeletedUser3585]

I agree with you. I can see that they want to stop the multi-account people but this cuts off families from playing. And, it happened without warning so it forces us to throw away a ton of forge when we were in the middle of donating. Penalizing the legitimate people to try and curb the bad ones.

I don't know about this. People that want to cheat will probably figure out a way to do it anyway.

 

[DeletedUser3]

We have implemented an automated block, as indicated in the 0.25 changelog report, to ensure players abide by the rules pertaining to shared internet connections. While it may seem strict, the rules are in place to ensure fair disposition to all players and have been in effect since the outset of the game. This automated feature is an enforcement a pre-existing rules. The Game Rules.

I understand this is a personal inconvenience but, at it stands, there are hundreds more players not sharing the same connections who can help donate to the development of a player's Great Building.

 

[DeletedUser]

It's not just the same ISP connection that is restricted. My wife and I joinged a guild together over a month ago and she is on a totally different internet connection from me and still can't donate points. My guess is that it's tracking access at the PC level as well as she was trying to use her personal laptop from work and I'm pretty sure I have logged onto that laptop at home before.

So not only does this impact families that play from home, it also means a family member can't donate even if they are on a different internet connection.

 

[DeletedUser3]

That is not the case. It will prevent you from boosting each other's GBs if you accessed the same network recently.

 

[DeletedUser]

That is not the case. It will prevent you from boosting each other's GBs if you accessed the same network recently.

What is considered "recently"?

 

[DeletedUser3052]

The rules are linked from several places in the game and the forae. It is your responsibility to read & abide by its rules: The Game Rules. We have implemented an automated block, as indicated in the 0.25 changelog report, to ensure players abide by the rules pertaining to shared internet connections. While it may seem strict, the rules are in place to ensure fair disposition to all players and have been in effect since the outset of the game. This automated feature is an enforcement of said pre-existing rules.

As it stands, there are hundreds more players, not sharing the same connections, who can help donate to the development of a player's Great Building.

Perhaps a "Do's and Don'ts" of what is allowed and what isn't allowed is in order for shared connections (to elaborate). Inno might have written the rules, but many players are locked in a standstill of confusion as to what is allowed and what isn't allowed when it comes to shared connections. I had raised this question in the past because I got people in line at my provisioned connection that wanted to play, but I hold them off at the door because I do not want my account banned on a technicality. Yes, I have a dual network (an internal network in which I use, and an open based network for guests to connect to) all onto the same connection.

Also, I had pointed out, and I will do so again: that gaming is no longer restricted in the home. That being said, I sometimes take my laptop with me to play on the road (as I do with many games when I am at a place of boredom and there is a wi-fi connection nearby). I am not going to get up from my seat and tap everyone on the shoulder and ask if they are currently playing FoE to see if I can be able to get on without getting banned. Same, if I had a group of friends that come over to play (and I use Facebook to get the word around to everyone about this game; especially those that are living close by). Four years ago, before I have a laptop to go around in, I used to play games at the FedEx-Kinkos (copy store for those who are unfamiliar with the name) where I put money on a card and then put that card onto a computer and use it. Of course FoE wasn't that long, but if I were to do that again, will they ban me because I was using a 'shared computer'?

The rules itself is confusing enough, and after getting answers from everywhere and support, I don't see inviting people to play any time soon. I appreciate that Inno is trying to keep multi-accounters out, but it is also hurting those with families or close friends, or even public access points EVEN MORE. Perhaps, we need someone to write out the rules in knowing what is allowed while on a shared connection so that way people will have peace of mind and not worry that their account will get banned.

PS, many people still use the same "family computer" in their homes as it is cost effective (or could not afford multiple computers).

Questions that People Ask
1. Are we able to motivate/polish/plunder each other on the same connection (gaming halls aka cyber cafes would be at risk since they have a lot of competitive players that play; especially kids)?
2. Are we able to motivate/polish/plunder other players that play on a different connection from that same connection? i.e., I Mot/Pol/Plu everyone on my neighborhood, friend list, and guild list. My brother logs on and M/P's everyone on his friend list and everyone on our guild list since he joined the same guild as me.
3. Are we able to trade to other players from the same connection? Since the software detects trading between ourselves on the same connection, how's that governed for those who are in public access spots? Even so, how's that governed when family members trade from their home net to other players globally?
4. As with question #3, how does that affect Forge Points and Donating?

I worked in the Quality Assurance department for over 2 years (both hardware and software testing). In my line of work, I had always foresee probable cause and possible questions end users (customers if you will) will ask. While these questions do not reflect the entire player base as it is only gathered, they do reflect the questions players are asking themselves when they are playing the game. Maybe one day, I will sit at a Starbucks and enjoy a game of FoE and a person comes up to me and asks what game is that (as we all have been there with the 'over the shoulder' looker). What do you want me to tell them? That they cannot play on the same connection because I will get banned? (I will do it if it will give me peace of mind, but keep in mind people do get discouraged and will not play because of what was told).

 

[DeletedUser3]

There are a lot of aspects here that simply cannot be shared. The common sense to this is that we don't want to pose the how, as then those who intend on cheating will attempt to circumvent such. We utilize our tools to locate those violating the rules and leave alone those who are not. In cases where it is suspect, we place the account on watch and determine if actions warrant address. The Game Rules provide ample information as to what the rules are. In the issue of GBs, because of the nature of the issue, we opted to automate it. However, we still review account activities.

The general issue is this: While families may enjoy playing together, this likewise poses a distinct advantage over individuals. To reduce the temptation to cheat, and to level the playing field for all, we simply do not allow those playing from the same site or household to trade or share in excess between each other. The rules stipulate it, and now some automated functions with GBs reduce the likelihood of such, so there's no clarification needed on this point. Indeed, some players have suffered the consequences of attempting to bypass this restriction and there were others, prior to the imposition of this automated feature, that lost their accounts for abuse.

Really, there's not much to consider here. Playing the game by the rules, following the spirit of fair-play, working with others ingame (as opposed to inhouse or faking of such), allows everyone a level playing field for competition.