Deliberate use of a bug for IC gain.

[Morton]

  Regarding this action, I would like to express what I did, and How I saw it in game.   First of all, I want to say that I play Battlemaster as a fun diversion for exactly the reasons stated on the entry page.  I don't live or die by it, nor do I lose sleep over it.  I enjoy the role playing and character development that we all put into it.   One thing which does have me a little unhappy is the thinly veiled accusation that I cheated.  I don't play the game seriously enough to put that much thought into such a plan.

This is how I saw the situation.  Summerdale had takem over the province But as an oversight had not installed a new Lord. so taking advantage of my position as lord, and (as I assumed an oversight by Summerdale) I closed the recruiting centers, and using the politics prompt, switched duchies back to Libero.  I was unaware of any Bug as it is not my custom to read bug tracker data.  I don't know where to find it, or probably wouldn't understand any technical data.

I wanted tp voice my perspctive on this, I do not like being accused or labeled a cheater.   If a bug allowed me to do what i did, then we will do what we need to do, then again, Perhaps it can be played out in another way as well.

[Velax]

So even though you've played this game for four years and held multiple lordships, you didn't realise it was a bug when the region was taken by the enemy but you stayed lord?

[Brant]

Morton, it's not thinly veiled.  I did accuse you of cheating, hence the Magistratum. You know or should know that your character is not supposed to be the lord of another realm's region, yet you chose to use that bug to gain as many IC benefits as you could manage.   If you truly and honestly tell me you didn't know it was a bug for an election in Libero to appoint you to a lordship of a Summerdale region, you're not a cheater and I'll withdraw my accusation.



On a semi-related note:
Stepping down under the new system costs neither honor nor prestige (Under the politics menu), yet the old system (under the command menu) does.

[BardicNerd]

Morton, it's not thinly veiled.  I did accuse you of cheating, hence the Magistratum. You know or should know that your character is not supposed to be the lord of another realm's region, yet you chose to use that bug to gain as many IC benefits as you could manage.   If you truly and honestly tell me you didn't know it was a bug for an election in Libero to appoint you to a lordship of a Summerdale region, you're not a cheater and I'll withdraw my accusation.

This is the message he sent to me:

Out-of-Character from Orris Morton   (2 hours, 13 minutes ago)
(shruggs) I thought it was an oversight on Summerdale's part which allowed me to do it.  As I have found out, there may have been a bug which i was not aware of that allowed me to do it.  But as far as cheating?      Its an free online game that I enjoy for  a few minutes each day.  I Don't play it as seriously as some do.  (<name removed>, for example)   lol

Thomas Catterall

[Tom]

I closed the recruiting centers, and using the politics prompt, switched duchies back to Libero.

Good point. A cheater wouldn't do that, as it measn losing the RCs.

[ChrisVCB]

Orris, if you had no intention to unfairly gain from it, would you be willing to disband the militia as a show of good faith? I think this would assuage alot of bad blood & show that you're not intending to exploit (gain from) a bug.

[Brant]

Chris:  I think that would just make the situation worse at this point.    I want to win because we earned it, not through bugs or concessions.

[ChrisVCB]

I see your point, though I dont see an unfair advantage in not making us have to fight our own militia.  :P

Personally I would find it hard to believe there's no dishonest intent behind any bug exploit if the person who gained from it was unwilling to forgo what they got from it. If they want to keep what they gained then it makes me question the intent behind doing it.

Just my personal philosophy I guess  :) We all have one.

[Fury]

Chris:  I think that would just make the situation worse at this point.    I want to win because we earned it, not through bugs or concessions.

And what if they don't want to win through bugs either? You've lost the militia. If they disband it then they don't gain from it.

One thing which does have me a little unhappy is the thinly veiled accusation that I cheated.

Which is why we have this system for player disputes. What do you think is the best course of action now for you as a player? To see this trial to its conclusion? Did you see this?

[Chenier]

Good point. A cheater wouldn't do that, as it measn losing the RCs.

I don't understand.

To me, this makes his course of action worse, not better. He sabotaged a region that he shouldn't have been able to.

[Dante Silverfire]

I don't understand.

To me, this makes his course of action worse, not better. He sabotaged a region that he shouldn't have been able to.

Perhaps.

However, I think the point Tom was trying to make, was that if he took down the RC's, while still intending to bring the region back to his own realm, he was just doing what the other realm would have done if they thought the region would have been reclaimed. If he just took the region back, his realm would be in a much stronger position by having the RC's to recruit from.

I personally don't necessarily see the connection but think this is the argument being made.

[Tom]

To me, this makes his course of action worse, not better. He sabotaged a region that he shouldn't have been able to.

Intention to exploit the bug to maximum effect would have let the RCs standing.

[Chenier]

Perhaps.

However, I think the point Tom was trying to make, was that if he took down the RC's, while still intending to bring the region back to his own realm, he was just doing what the other realm would have done if they thought the region would have been reclaimed. If he just took the region back, his realm would be in a much stronger position by having the RC's to recruit from.

I personally don't necessarily see the connection but think this is the argument being made.

If the realm lost the region, I'm inclined to believe it will lose it again. Therefore, sacking the centres means that when the other realm undos the bug by reclaiming the region, they'll be left with a region without RCs instead of one with.

If you are trying to say that he sacked the centres to lessen the impact of the bug, I'm not buying it. It just doesn't make any sense. "I'll take this region away from the other realm in a way I never should have been able to, but hey, it'll all good because I'm also closing the centres despite keeping the militia".

I just can't believe in any scenario that would have these acts committed out of good will, at least not without reprimendable negligence. This makes the acts even worse and more clear-cut to my eyes.

Intention to exploit the bug to maximum effect would have let the RCs standing.

Not unless you believe the region will fall to the same enemy again soon.

[BardicNerd]

It is fairly debatable if the region is likely to fall again.  It certainly could, but it's just as likely to not.

[Marlboro]

What are the odds being forced to read through five pages of people calling you a cheater might be considered sufficient punishment for this? I'm a fairly new player and you hardliners intimidate the crap out of me with this sometimes. I could see myself making this same mistake, for the same reasons ("Oh, they didn't appoint a Lord so I guess I'm still Lord?"). Taking a heavy hand to him after dragging him through the mud isn't gonna help your retention issues.