Question for Devs regarding cleave

[Kikorimo]

I was just returning to play after being offline for some time to focus on college when I noticed this:
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[NA]Action against RMT Activity Involving Power Leveling

We are currently investigating players who advertise power leveling services via Shout/Yell, collect gil from the participants, and then use that gil to engage in RMT-related activity. Our investigations thus far have revealed that these players regularly advertise in the Jeuno area and we have responded by terminating the FINAL FANTASY XI service accounts of those found guilty of this behavior.

Please be aware that advertising in such a manner in itself can be disrupting to other players and we may take action against players who continuously advertise for the above kind of parties. This also includes behavior that helps facilitate such activity. Please take caution in not supporting RMT-related activity.

In addition, if you witness other players engaging in this behavior, please report the details to the Special Task Force via the Square Enix Support Center.

Square Enix Support Center
http://support.na.square-enix.com/ffxi/
[Contact] > [Report to Special Task Force] >　[Witnessed RMT related activity in-game]

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter.

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While I like that RMT are still tasting the fiery wrath of the banhammer, what concerns me is that the post seems somewhat vague. I have participated in non-RMT parties that power leveled people who paid us gil for compensation for our time so that we could afford to buy some better gear in the past. (In other words, no RMT involvement at all, we were just working to make our characters better by performing in game work for in game rewards, similar in concept to simply doing a quest.) However, it sounds like this post is saying that doing this in the future will cause non-RMT to be banned as well. So, I am asking for clarification on this from the development team/GMs. Does Square Enix intend to ban non-RMT players for requesting in game compensation for time and effort spent? I myself don't feel Fell Cleave party shouts to be any more disrupting than shouts to put together Voidwatch parties or any of the other random server banter. Heck, I would have thought that was the original purpose of shout (to put together groups, make known an offer for item/service, etc...) and that chat filters were added for a reason.

Thanks for your time, and clarification on this would be greatly appreciated.

(Banning for making use of shout to put together parties is silly in my opinion though...)

[Kincard]

I'd like some clarification too. It strikes me as odd that the STF/Dev Team is apparently against a specific type of party itself rather than just RMTs doing it, since if someone is legitimately doing it, it's just another way to make gil in-game. Isn't all that different for mercing out a NM kill or some other service.

[Demon6324236]

I am also curious about this. I have not cleaved myself in some time, however with how it was made to sound, I fear if I were to do it again, or my ls members were to cleave, we may be reported, and even banned, for trying to help fund a Relic, or just generally help out fellow LS members. (It sounds as though FCs may be reported in general, with or without shouts.)

[Kincard]

I just don't get why they're actually suggesting it's disruptive to people to advertise for cleaving when it's really no different from shouting multiple times to form a voidwatch group or to sell something.

For the record, I don't even cleave except when I'm trying to farm some dark rings on my own so this doesn't really affect me, it just seems like a double standard to me.

[Kjara]

About time they'd do something like that. I've been struggling to get any kind of EXP activity going since Fell Cleave burns started. Dominion pages parties are pretty much dead, took me two weeks to get a GoV EXP party going in Crawler's Nest. The top of luck is to see an La Theine shout every few days.

Wish I knew where people got all this money to pay FC burns. I never had that much and if I ever will I definitely wouldn't spend it to EXP, which is something that shouldn't be done by afking (thus the word 'experience'). Because of these activities newcomers are getting pushed away from the game because they don't have the gil to pay burning nor can find someone to exp with.

As I've said in other posts, I think SE should just make Fell Cleave magical damage and nerf it. That would solve the problem once for all. Other activities such as farming dark rings or empyrean boots can be done without it just fine (Personally I do it as blue mage). Let's see if this banhammer brings some life back in previous exp areas.

[Caketime]

An adjustment at this point to Fell Cleave would be exclusionary to anyone who didn't jump on the FC alliance bandwagon months ago, nerfing it to uselessness would only inspire some people to quit playing, and shoehorn others into a cycle of boring gameplay for minimal reward due to there being no alternative. Personally I prefer being able to suit up SCH and just spam buffs at my WAR buddy while he wrecks everything in front of him. It's much faster than waiting around for hours trying to set up a PT.

[Kincard]

About time they'd do something like that. I've been struggling to get any kind of EXP activity going since Fell Cleave burns started. Dominion pages parties are pretty much dead, took me two weeks to get a GoV EXP party going in Crawler's Nest. The top of luck is to see an La Theine shout every few days.

At least on Leviathan, Dominion parties arn't formed in town anymore, they're basically permanently going on in Altepa and you just go there, flag up, and you'll get picked up.

Wish I knew where people got all this money to pay FC burns.

Pretty much any endgame activity? Also, before blinkers were nerfed, a lot of the time you'd get back a huge chunk of the money you spent through cruor. Paying cleavers 100k/hour meant that in that hour you only needed to get something like 40k cruor to get it back, which isn't that unfeasible.

Since blinker nerfs people join cleaves far less often, but honestly spending a few hundred thousand gil to wake up to a new fully leveled job isn't really a big deal to a lot of players.

[lllen]

An adjustment at this point to Fell Cleave would be exclusionary to anyone who didn't jump on the FC alliance bandwagon months ago, nerfing it to uselessness would only inspire some people to quit playing, and shoehorn others into a cycle of boring gameplay for minimal reward due to there being no alternative. Personally I prefer being able to suit up SCH and just spam buffs at my WAR buddy while he wrecks everything in front of him. It's much faster than waiting around for hours trying to set up a PT.

What has happen is that we have a whole generation of players who do not know about the ole time parties mainly because there are none any more. I partied some of my jobs, but I remember soloing Blm up when no one wanted the job in party its not fun, omg if I ever see another pet rabbit...lol. I love Abyssea, the ability to get the jobs up fast is great, I then learn how to use them, skill up, gear them etc...that is fun. Eliminating FC parties is not the answer, people will find another way to do it and as they are not privy to the ways of the old FFXI it won't be 6 man parties in the Dunes, Quifim or bird merit parties.

Its scares me that SE is going after the FC, they don't have a good track record when it comes to banning. I have spent years getting my guy to the level she is now, I don't want to loose it because my best friend a War decided to FC to make money for a relic and I am leveling off of him. I already stopped gardening, what next?

[Demon6324236]

As I've said in other posts, I think SE should just make Fell Cleave magical damage and nerf it. That would solve the problem once for all. Other activities such as farming dark rings or empyrean boots can be done without it just fine (Personally I do it as blue mage). Let's see if this banhammer brings some life back in previous exp areas.

Gimp 1 form of FC, people will find another. Be it WAR FCing with Staff using Cata, using GA with FC, using BLU with CW. The only way to stop it, is destroy Abyssea's xp system, which destroys its light system somewhat, and would never be done.

[Kikorimo]

About time they'd do something like that. I've been struggling to get any kind of EXP activity going since Fell Cleave burns started. Dominion pages parties are pretty much dead, took me two weeks to get a GoV EXP party going in Crawler's Nest. The top of luck is to see an La Theine shout every few days.

Wish I knew where people got all this money to pay FC burns. I never had that much and if I ever will I definitely wouldn't spend it to EXP, which is something that shouldn't be done by afking (thus the word 'experience'). Because of these activities newcomers are getting pushed away from the game because they don't have the gil to pay burning nor can find someone to exp with.

As I've said in other posts, I think SE should just make Fell Cleave magical damage and nerf it. That would solve the problem once for all. Other activities such as farming dark rings or empyrean boots can be done without it just fine (Personally I do it as blue mage). Let's see if this banhammer brings some life back in previous exp areas.

Nerfing cleave would do nothing because AoE exp burns have been around for years, even before level 80+ and fell cleave. Remember summoner burns? There is also Aeolin edge and Cataclysm burns as well as blu "cleave."
Just my 2 cents in regards to the "nerfing one weaponskill will solve all the problems" train of thought. Fell Cleave is currently just the most popular method is all.