about these time-limited event items

I've been known to sometimes have unpopular opinions, and this may be another but I'm going to express it anyway.

These temporary events that give access to limited-time items promote illegal gameplay more so than if the items were implemented on a more permanent basis.

By adding items that are only available for a limited time, you're enabling illegal gameplay to benefit more from the event than regular players.

The players know these items are going to be available temporary, so they turn their scripts up to collect and sell as much as possible.  In a game where the players have generally assessed that they can get away with botting, it makes no sense to me to throw in circumstances where they will benefit a great deal with time-sensitive items.

I'm not saying that botters don't generally benefit more than regular players.  The entire idea of botting is to progress faster than the competition.  I'm saying that by enabling limited-time items you're actually promoting it in a way that is more beneficial than usual.

A fix would be to recycle these events every year.

Yup recycling will fix it so shards are dead 8 months then they come back to get the items since they know they won't miss anything by taking an 8 month break.

Recycling items is the problem.

Pawain said:

Yup recycling will fix it so shards are dead 8 months then they come back to get the items since they know they won't miss anything by taking an 8 month break.

Recycling items is the problem.

"Then they come back" ?

They're already there...  All I see is people video recording mass-botters.  There are probably more people botting now during these events than any other period I could think of.

Recycling would make it less lucrative to botters would it not?  Do you have a better suggestion?

They are at the keyboard while doing this. I doubt EA can make us just use 1 account per person.

Ban suspicious people and make them fill out a long form to return? That works in RL. Send out a job offer online and ask for specific things. Half the responders are to lazy to spend 2 minutes on a task.

Also sounds like an Atlantic problem. Players band together and kill stuff before they can?

Pawain said:

They are at the keyboard while doing this. I doubt EA can make us just use 1 account per person.

Some are for sure, and of those - some are doing it legally which I'm not against at all.  I'm not against people doing it the legal way if they are controlling every character down there be it idle or casting a spell.

Pawain said:

Ban suspicious people and make them fill out a long form to return? That works in RL. Send out a job offer online and ask for specific things. Half the responders are to lazy to spend 2 minutes on a task.

I do like this line of thinking as I haven't seen many suggestions like this.

Pawain said:

Also sounds like an Atlantic problem. Players band together and kill stuff before they can?

I don't have the specific list of shards of the videos that I've seen people botting on.  I would like to think people AFK-botting on Atlantic were more likely to be caught.

Maybe stricter punishment for EJ accounts caught AFK-botting.  I've heard of people getting short temporary bans and I don't know if it's true or not, but if it is then this would also be an area to look at.

sibble said:

I've been known to sometimes have unpopular opinions, and this may be another but I'm going to express it anyway.

These temporary events that give access to limited-time items promote illegal gameplay more so than if the items were implemented on a more permanent basis.

By adding items that are only available for a limited time, you're enabling illegal gameplay to benefit more from the event than regular players.

The players know these items are going to be available temporary, so they turn their scripts up to collect and sell as much as possible.  In a game where the players have generally assessed that they can get away with botting, it makes no sense to me to throw in circumstances where they will benefit a great deal with time-sensitive items.

I'm not saying that botters don't generally benefit more than regular players.  The entire idea of botting is to progress faster than the competition.  I'm saying that by enabling limited-time items you're actually promoting it in a way that is more beneficial than usual.

A fix would be to recycle these events every year.

Well, the Developers could turn all of this to the advantage of Ultima Online...

How ?

They should Monitor the Hythloth Dungeon on all Shards, 24/7, find therefore the scripters/botters/cheaters, and ban the all for good. And not just those accounts which they are using to script(bot/cheat, but also their main accounts which will benefit from this cheating.

The great advantage for the Developers, is that they KNOW where cheaters will be doing it, in Hythloth.

It is one place, limited location, easy to Monitor. No need to have to look for these cheaters all over the place.....

And they can finally get rid of these cheaters, for good, and for the better sake of Ultima Online.

How about it,  @Mesanna , and @Kyronix ?

Funny.  I have never seen an afk botter video. I spend my spare time playing UO.  Rather watch TV than watch someone else play UO.  Is Yellowstone ever going to continue!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would suggest this is an Atlantic problem only no Money to be made elsewhere 

multi-boxing and multi-accounts are different.

One person can run 2 or 3 account same time as long as he can control each manually. This is legal.

Multi boxing is one person controlling 10 accounts at the same time. When he cast a EB, all 10 accounts fired off same time. I have reported this in past event such as Yukio quest.

The recycling rewards each year is necessity. I wonder what would most players do if everything in game is seasonal including Cu Sidhe dog and Cameo. Sorry, u can't get them anymore because that was 2010 event, so sorry guys who missed that event.
 

Seth said:

multi-boxing and multi-accounts are different.

One person can run 2 or 3 account same time as long as he can control each manually. This is legal.

Multi boxing is one person controlling 10 accounts at the same time. When he cast a EB, all 10 accounts fired off same time. I have reported this in past event such as Yukio quest.

The recycling rewards each year is necessity. I wonder what would most players do if everything in game is seasonal including Cu Sidhe dog and Cameo. Sorry, u can't get them anymore because that was 2010 event, so sorry guys who missed that event.
 

100% @Seth. I see quite a few people doing the legal multi client but I also see the multiboxer who usually is the 3-5 sampires stacked with auto whirlwind every swing which to my knowledge is impossible to loop.

I'd agree that things need to be recycled but not for every event... perfect example is the silver ring that comes back every Halloween or even boots of escaping. I like the idea of the DEVs switching it up to give the people that work these events a chance at some new shiny stuff (as well as everyone else). Perfect example is the SSI eps (I think they handled it the right way this year). As someone who grinded Deceit, I had enough to spread around when needed but that isn't to say that everyone had them so I do think they needed to return.

That said, I also don't think they should be part of every event rewards option though because I think by asking for that it lets the DEV team off the hook to actually create new functional stuff. The Balron Armor is a great new addition to add options for warriors so kudos for that but if you take away the duplicate items that have been part of several events (mask/boots/sterling ring/50 SDI spellbook); you really only have 5 functional items (2 in the SSI/FCD Eps and really only 3 NEW items in the Balron armor / Demon tali / wildfire lantern). Sure it's great they added mage style "shield" slot items to transmog or some decorations or new lore pages but those are really only for people who collect pixels (whereas the usable stuff can be used by anyone who does more than bank sit and collect pixels). I'd like to see more usable new options to keep things fresh because when you just have the same thing over and over with the same (or reskinned) rewards there isn't much reason to grind the events...