RMT Countermeasures

Recently, a number of accounts which were confirmed to have violated the the user agreement by using unauthorized third-party software tools were discovered and have been permanently suspended. Since the middle of May, 2006, the development team and the GMs carried out a detailed investigation of this problem, and discovered the existence of a group using illicit methods to produce large amounts of gil that are later sold in the real world (Real Money Trading). We would like to take this opportunity to outline the measures that have been taken to correct this issue. Based on the results of this investigation, more than 250 accounts among those found to be involved in large-scale RMT operations have been terminated. We will continue to monitor accounts suspected of dealing in gil created or obtained in an unfair manner. Thanks to these measures, more than 250 billion gil has been removed from circulation. As has been previously stated, acts of RMT will not be tolerated in FINAL FANTASY XI, and any violations of the user agreement will be dealt with severely. We would like to assure our players that all efforts are being made to ensure a fair playing experience. We hope to have your continuing understanding and cooperation in creating a Vana'diel that everyone can enjoy.

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alla == ige
# Jul 12 2006 at 11:48 PM Rating: Decent
Quote:
i once pointed out about gil seller site being advertised on this website. so much for that eh?


well... what do you expect? alla got bought out by ige. you get the memo?
RMT Countermeasures... yes, sure
# Jul 11 2006 at 4:32 PM Rating: Decent
RMT Countermeasures... yes, sure, let do big party at SE, hurray (SARCASM)
What is the real issue?
# Jun 19 2006 at 2:49 PM Rating: Good
34 posts
Ok gil sellers gil buyers and anyone else playing the game are kind of the same.

If you get rid of all gil sellers and gil buyers what happens....

Less Gil in the economy ok now what
Prices go down ok next
people make less money next
the acctual price of things have not changed you make less so things are priced less how would this change your game play.

Next issue NM Farmers

If it was not them camping them it would be you Just like you learned a skill to make money and I cook fish and farm. They make money off the NM drops. I cook so I farm all sorts of stuff leave the people alone


Its a freakin game grow up people that complain are hte people that can not craft to make enough money to buy things or want to buy gil and can not afford it.

If someone wants to buy gil I say let them so what Would I no I enjoy making things and selling them it gives me more of a game to play as killing mobs all day gets boring.

Some people dont have the time to do this and if your lv is high and gear is low what can you actually kill nothing everything you can kill is Too weak everything that will give you xp will kill you cuz your gear sux.

Just play the game and enjoy it gil sellers and buyers are not hurting anything.
ragnorak
# Jun 17 2006 at 5:15 PM Rating: Excellent
*
129 posts
don't know if many on ragnorak got banned, but I know the "gods" are still around. While lvling my bst in gc last week I saw no less than 3 full pts of sellers lvling. so these countermeasures i'm starting to think are more to appease the new influx of xbox players who are crying wolf than to actually accomplish something. I dont know. I think i'm just bein whiny. Cant say I wasnt happy to read this on pol the other day.
heh
# Jun 17 2006 at 5:10 PM Rating: Decent
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129 posts
"SE's Countermeasure Skill rises 0.3"


Skillup party, {do you need it?}
RMT
# Jun 17 2006 at 4:00 PM Rating: Decent
Hmm...I'm gonna play devil's advocate here. I love playing video games, I've played them ever since I was a child, especially FF. I like FFXI a lot, but I also have a career and family. I don't have the time to sit for countless weeks raising my crafting skills to sell stuff to NPC's for crap gil. Is RMT a bad thing? Yes and no. Yes, it affects the in game economy negatively to an extent; it also gives casual players, which make up the majority of the players, a means to enjoy the game without it getting monotonous. You want a solution, honestly? Stop whining and ruining it for everyone because you are dissatisfied. SE wants to help the in game economy? Stop making it so unrealistically hard to come by a decent amount of gil legitly.
Gil Quest
# Jun 17 2006 at 2:21 PM Rating: Default
You see a small pile of Gil. (Touch It? Yes)

A Party of Gilsellers has arrived.
GilsellerA uses Disconnect Player. You have been defeated by a Gilseller, but he makes you a nice offer on 10,000,000 gil for $45.
"WTG", "U da", "Hello [Liquid] Kitty", etc.
# Jun 17 2006 at 4:01 AM Rating: Decent
SE's Countermeasure Skill rises 0.3
useless
# Jun 15 2006 at 8:16 PM Rating: Decent
No matter how many raids SE does, Alexander's veteran RMT is ALWAYS active. Let me point you to this link
GIL ?
# Jun 15 2006 at 5:32 PM Rating: Decent
The way I see it, nomater if there are gil sell/buyers or not people will still wine and complain about the price of eveything. If some how SE stops all RMT, (as unlikly as it sounds) and prices go down for everthing, the % diffrence in price for all items will not change. So my sugestion is if you can show that some1 is a gil buyer/seller report them, and SE might do something. Its just a game not life, so get over it.
RE: GIL ?
# Jun 16 2006 at 8:48 PM Rating: Good
Well, we have called GM's on Gilsellers before and the seller didnt get **** done to him, when he offered to sell us gil in open /s mode. But the GM twisted it to were it was us who said it. They jailed most of my party and did nothing to the OPEN GIL SELLERS....

So if you don't believe SE is in Cahoots with the RMT then you are ******.
haha
# Jun 15 2006 at 5:13 PM Rating: Decent
Quote:
Almost feels like George Bush is running Vanadiel.


he is, havent you gotten the memo?

i once pointed out about gil seller site being advertised on this website. so much for that eh?

these which hunts as you call them are staged to apease the masses. you know the ones who cry to SE everyday that the prices are too outrageous.haha who want to get a kraken club for 1 mil gil and peacock charm for 100k :)whoops thats still too much...
one part I find interesting
# Jun 15 2006 at 3:27 PM Rating: Decent
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2,214 posts
<rant>
Everyone who gets upset about RMT always complain about the people camping NMs. Drops from NMs does not generate gil. These are not the people that are causing the problem. If you are concerned about the prices of the AH items check the forums, there are people complaining about being undercut as crafters and loosing gil on these high craft items.

You tell me how a Juggernaut or speed belt can bring in 250 BILLION gil. SB sells for about 40-60 million gil on our server. There is probably 2-3 of them that drop a week If that. That would amount to <200 million gil a week. It would take what, 2-3 years before a person would have enough gil from that to amount to 250 billion gil. On top of that, where is that gil coming from? Someone had to create it. Gil doesn't just miraculously appear in game, someone has to sell something to make that kind of gil. And sell ALOT of it.

People who complain on the forums about RMT are only upset about the compitition, not about the price of the item. If they were upset about the price of the item, they wouldn't post it or bazaar it at the current going price, but lower to set the precident. No, the RMT that SE cares about are the people who actually make the gil, not the small time NM farmers. They are nothing more then an annoyance. It would be something more along the lines of individuals that are suplimenting their income, or even paying their way through school by playing a video game.

The people who are making the 10 million dollars worth of gil in a matter of 6 months, they are the threat on the economy. Remove their money, and people will not have the gil to pay the extreme amounts that items are priced at, and time will cause the price to drop (see Dec 1st through Feb 1st).

Don't get me wrong, the NM farmers are annoying, however, if you chocobo dig, or garden, you will notice that there are ALOT more seeds in the ah (like the price of Tree cuttings dropped in half after christmas, then started to slowly rise again) as well as areas that you normally couldn't dig are now not busy (see elemental ores, Philo stones, darksteel...). And while gardeners (the sale of 90% of your returns sold to a vendor turns into purely created gil, as opposed to putting it in the ah, while 10% of your returns sell in the ah for thousands of gil) can start back up immediately with new accounts, SE is claiming to have methods of dealing with these accounts now (probably a set of pattern actions that trigger flags for them, however, yes, gil sellers will try and change their strats). Chocobo diggers however, once their accounts are terminated there is time and energy invested in recreating that account.

While I have no direct proof of gardening being the method of gil obtaining, you name one other way you can create millions of gil quickly with little to no investment into the game.

Even if you could go and create 250 new accounts, and have say even 10 people manage all of them, how long would it take to get them all high enough to farm NMs, then you have to get claim on the NM, then you have to get the drops, then you have to find a way of creating profit (not making, creating, there is a difference).

Since there is an unlimited pool of gil in the game (NPCs can access any amount of gil necessary to purchase any number of items you sell them), why not collect on that, rather then messing around with the AH. Very few people can make the amount of gil that SE removes from gil sellers at the rate that the gil sellers are creating it, however, every person that I hear complain about it is talking about the same people farming the same NMs that they are. How are they making so much more gil then you? They are not. They are not the problem, they are only gnats. Small fries. Get used to them like you would a misquito. Get them banned if you can. however, they are not going to attract attention of SE, simply because they work on a smaller scale. It's just like all the stoners out there. They can get away with buying weed any day of the week. However, the government doesn't condone illicit drug sales. They go after the people that will make the biggest impact, and let time and mistakes take care of the rest.

</rant>
____________________________
http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/character/729735/
who knows?
# Jun 15 2006 at 2:59 PM Rating: Good
Well among the rumors and conspiracy theories, I haven't really seen enough evidence to prove either one more possible.

1: SE allows RMT? Well it could make sense. Get money from its regular service members. Maybe a little extra from those who can work the system. Every once in a while stage a "witch hunt" in order to prove their "efforts" That's a lot of money to be made. Making money off the service and the gilselling. I guess SE would be the only large business to ever be taken by more money?

2: RMT's are taking advantage of the system? Hmm, if you could make a living off of sitting on your couch playing a video game, would you? Are RMT's really providing you a service by making it so that you don't have to camp if you want to pay for the luxury? Seems sad to shaft all the other players. The selling of IG monies has been around since before FFXI. You'd figure SE would've seen it coming.

Things I don't get. SE supports sites such as allakhazam, somepage, and warcry. I found it odd that I frequently see banner advertisements for gilselling sites on somepage, warcry, & even our much respected Allakhazam. For every theory there is something to contradict it. Almost feels like George Bush is running Vanadiel.

I'm getting passed the point of even caring anymore. If it gets too bad, I'll grow tired of being unproductive and quit the game like many have before me. Hate to think that I pay 20 bucks a month (couple mules) just to spend more money on gil to play the game.

Just because no one knows you buy gil, doesn't mean you're not still a part of the problem.
...
# Jun 15 2006 at 2:56 PM Rating: Decent
So how long did it take for the Gil sellers to return? Five minutes? Ten Minutes maybe? SE's attempt at fixing the problem is comparable to trying to drain the ocean with a sponge.
lol
# Jun 15 2006 at 11:53 AM Rating: Decent
i find it incredibly idiotic to think that a majority of the players enjoy waiting weeks to get that Grade A gear they'd sell their first born over.

SE requires no justification of condoning or embrasing the gil buying/selling plague. they can do it in secret conspiracies and watever or do it in the open it makes no difference.

wha the problem is, you have people who sold their soul for their high grade gear and now they are pissed that all the newbie low lifes have shown up and gotten the same thing for no work at all.

the concept is simple. spend a week farming or pay X amount of real mine for that same item. whether you agree or not [your time=someone else's real world money.] if i had 300$$ to waste on in game gil, i would if it meant i didnt have to sit on my computer day in day out farming for the same thing. to some people their money is comparable to your time. its a matter of preference and having the ability to do either.

sure it breaks SE's rules but ever since this has been [a war on gil sellers] they are still here and no end in sight. remember war on drugs? yeah itll never be over. especially when the penalty is a slap in the wrist.
Think about it
# Jun 15 2006 at 10:20 AM Rating: Decent
32 posts
I'm tired of hearing that SE is part of the gil seller problem and is taking kickbacks to earn extra money. You idiots think about it!! Who makes the game and the codes? If SE wanted to make money off of the gil they would just create the gil with a website to sell it from and not even bother camping NM for drops. On top of that they wouldn't even have to do it in secret. They could do it in the open. Takes away a huge part of the game wouldn't it. I had a link showing a video of gil sellers at work in China. They do it for fun and profit and see it not as a problem but as providing a servce. When I find the link I will edit this post and ppl can check it out. You will find it interesting. If you dont like gil sellers report them to the GM,s End of story!


Edited, Thu Jun 15 22:49:17 2006
RE: Think about it
# Jun 15 2006 at 11:02 PM Rating: Excellent
32 posts
Heres the link for the gil farmers
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ho5Yxe6UVv4
heh here ppl go again assuming the worst about SE
# Jun 15 2006 at 7:22 AM Rating: Excellent
25 posts
you know what i love how every1 always whiles or complains whenever SE does ANYTHING.. any update to a job first thing i hear... " you hear how they are nerfing (blah) " you never give it a chance or try it out just automatically assume SE is evil... if they are so evil why do you play a game in all honesty i think SE is doing all they can to stop gil selling but you can only do so much at one time ... every time they have acted on them i notice prices go down to more reasonable prices, just liek with additions to the game they try to enhance gameplay ( i have enjoyed all the nerfs as ppl call them ) you need to relize that some of the game was ment to be hard.. and a pain. if it were easy no one would play and the ppl that did would have nothing to be proud of.... thats why it is so challanging ( why does that not look like the right spelling >_> )
* edit to change a mis-spell *

Edited, Thu Jun 15 08:23:04 2006
RMT are not SE
# Jun 15 2006 at 12:43 AM Rating: Decent
i highly doubt SE are in control of the RMT, way too much money to be lost doing it. they would lose more people that would leave the game out of disgrace to them than to rid the game of some RMT.

Quote:
$4,194,950 is wat 250billion gil would come out to from IGN @.@

no wonder all the gilseller websites still up how much u wanna bet they payin a cut of that from each site to SE. SE could make more off kickbacks from the gilsellers then they making off the subscription fee's

think about it lets say theres idk 3 sites per server makin that much and SE gets 10% of there profit thats $419,495 per site so $1,258,485 per server and 32 servers so $40,271,520 per year off the gilsellers now aint that just insane @.@

and these counter measer sh*t's they do now prolly happens whenever the gilsellers fall behind in there payments to SE teaching them a leason LOL

.....and cuase prices get so bad somtimes ppl will start quiting if they dont at least keep some controll of the economey.

ya iam a conspiracy nut i know hehe^^;; but idk that much money wouldent u get inbed with the gilsellers?


yes that is a nice chunk of change, but SE website reported 1 million players in north america a while back, so at 12.99 a month, SE is making about 12,990,000 a month in north america alone. when added with europe and the HUGE japanese market, they probably make more than 40 million a month without the help of selling gil

also most RMT people complain about are the ones that sit in one place and camp the same thing 24/7. thik about it, if you could "magically" make in game currency to sell, why would you put someone on payroll just to milk the people that keep you alive?

all in all, SE has more to gain with ridding the game from RMT than farming their own game
You people are retarded
# Jun 14 2006 at 7:11 PM Rating: Default
How many freakin times do I have to tell you that Square Enix IS THE GILSELLERS. Due to the slow down of new members, they really have to make cash some how.

So Square Enix sets up a department at their offices for the sale of Gil. When a team fails to make its quota for a quarter they "Ban them and remove Gil" from the game, i.e. they replace them with new people.

As for the Pro's and Cons of RMT, if Square wouldnt make it so f**king impossible for items to drop or craft stuff, there would be no need to buy it.
Simple Solution
# Jun 14 2006 at 6:59 PM Rating: Decent
remove the gil. all of it, make players actually quest for their gear or craft their own gear. it is THE only way you will get rid of gil sellers. RMT transactions have been around since way befor FFXI and they will be here after, so if SE really wants to get rid of them, then they got to get rid of what feeds the gill sellers.

SE tried to get rid of some gilsellers who camped NM's by turning items rare/ex it worked... for a minute....

isnt it ironic, were sitting here talking about getting rid of gilsellers on a website that makes money from gilseller advertising.

Edited, Wed Jun 14 18:53:26 2006
RE: Simple Solution
# Jun 14 2006 at 8:20 PM Rating: Decent
genius. Not a chance in hell they'll do that for XI, but maybe a future MMORPG of theirs will. Or, perhaps just make money non-tradable some way or another.
Not permanent
# Jun 14 2006 at 6:45 PM Rating: Decent
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1,105 posts
I like that they are making an effort to stop it, but it's just temporary. They really need to do some IP tracing to figure out where this is coming from. It's pretty common knowledge that sorts of "sweatshops" do exist.

SE needs to find a way to block those particular IPs from registering at all. When you see 40-50 accounts all with similar IPs, all with extreme amounts of gil, a red light should turn on. Those IPs, or IP ranges to be specific, need to be blocked.

I'm not sure if that violates any law or policy, but I can't imagine it would. But there must be some reason they aren't already doing this. Deleting an account won't solve anything when the person can just make a new one.
RE: Not permanent
# Jun 15 2006 at 4:22 AM Rating: Good
I believe public businesses are allowed to deny service to anyone for any reason, but it's obvious that SE doesn't care enough if they're still making a ton of money every month.
Bah
# Jun 14 2006 at 1:44 PM Rating: Good
24 posts
SE is just giving them a weeks vacation in other words. -_-
more then one type of RMT
# Jun 14 2006 at 12:25 PM Rating: Decent
**
584 posts
I think there are two types of RMT. THere are the in game ones, that bot, cheat, steal, mpk, etc etc (comparable to say like a small time loan shark), and then there are the ones who use exploits in game code, packet sniffers, and other tools to actually exploit weaknesses in the design itself (compare it to a programmer skimming money off electronic transactions). Seems to me, from what I have read, that the later can sometimes rake off hundreds of millions of gil in days before SE or Blizzard catches on, and then its a matter of moving the money around so they don't catch up to it.
Buyers and Sellers
# Jun 14 2006 at 7:23 AM Rating: Good
They should ban all accounts that have had large transactions given to them, from the deleted accounts so we loose a lot of the gil buyers too.

You know the people, always have lots of cash, grade A gear (peacock charm, rabbit charm etc), never farm or craft. Those people are the ones I mean.

Anyone that buys gil is a IDIOT, and it spoils the game for the people who doesn't buy gil.

I don't mind hacking as long as its not for personal gain, the intormation or whatever should be avalible to all.

You never know SE might even be the people that instagated this gil seller regime, and control it.
I wouldn't be supprised.

Edited, Wed Jun 14 07:23:02 2006
RE: Buyers and Sellers
# Jun 26 2006 at 7:40 PM Rating: Default
Obviously you must not work very often or have attempted to finish english class. It must be great for all you kids, who have nothing better to do than play games all day long. I love FFXI, but unfortunately I have a family to attend to as well.
From spending 250$ a month on new games, to spending maybe 100$ or so every six months for a little gil, I've been able to save money. I've been playing this game for 3 years, and honestly, I don't think the RMT people have ruined this game. I farm those high level RARE/EX items just like regular people do. One thing I don't have is the rest of my life to obtain some of the nice gear along the way. Supprised is spelled "Surprised."
RE: Buyers and Sellers
# Jun 19 2006 at 5:54 AM Rating: Decent
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898 posts
Quote:
You know the people, always have lots of cash, grade A gear (peacock charm, rabbit charm etc), never farm or craft. Those people are the ones I mean.


I used to have excellent gear for my BLM around 40, having never crafted or farmed at all, I just survived of some very lucky BCNM drops until I decided on a good craft. Having good gear and such is hardly a good reason to accuse someone of buying gil.
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