Character Cloning - The New Cheat?

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Originally Posted by Skivvy

FF players have this idea that their characters are far better than mere "toons", and typically shun/mock/disregard anyone who uses it. The hate for the word was even stronger in XI. Always made me laugh. They blame the word on the WoW crowd, whom they also despise, but the word was used well before that.

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OOOH. I've seen other people, in other games, use it but not one person has got bent out of shape about it.

So it's another WoW vs. any other game thing. Would be understandable if these people were still young but they are mostly adults now...

Oh noooooo not tooons!!


http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz...cra2o1_500.gif

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Originally Posted by Castillan

Was standing in Revenant Toll. This toon logs in. All good. Then I see a second name appear right atop it. All appearance identical. Looked like 1 toon with 2 names. Then one of the toons walks to the side. I inspect them. They both have identical gear. Then another name appears on the first toon, and that new toon walks off to the side, also with identical gear. Then a third.

Looks like someone has found a way to clone toons. Just a heads up.

BTW, these toons were all level 50, with some off mix of crafted and artifact gear. I wasn't watching level 1 toons spawn in, in a city. This was blatant toon duplication of a level 50 toon in Revenant Toll.

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Screenshot?

Lol topic derailed so hard just over the use of toon.

Anywho, I've seen this quite often. Even have some SS somewhere on my ps3 & ps4. It's usually a party of BLM's, and the group I see most often is part of the same FC. Am looking on their lodestone page and it's pretty much a lalafellian army of clones.

They're taking over!

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Originally Posted by Suki-

Lol topic derailed so hard just over the use of toon.

Anywho, I've seen this quite often. Even have some SS somewhere on my ps3 & ps4. It's usually a party of BLM's, and the group I see most often is part of the same FC. Am looking on their lodestone page and it's pretty much a lalafellian army of clones.

They're taking over!

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They're RMT bots. This is what they've done since 1.0, and even in FFXI. A full party of Tarutaru / Lalafell BLMs running around collecting "product".

In regards to the original post, unless I'm misinterpreting what they wrote, the concern was that someone was duping, and I don't think this issue (always a cause for concern in an mmo) was directly addressed in this thread.

No, this likely was NOT a case of RMT finding a way to build a single character, and then split that character into several characters with the same gear. As others have mentioned, it is not uncommon for RMT to level identical characters in groups in order to sell them to buyers later. (Less frequently, legit multiboxing players might do the same thing, not to sell characters but just for fun - in those cases, though, they are unlikely to create identical characters.)

The reason that the characters all have identical gear is the same reason why cars off an assembly line will have identical tires. The RMT have a process for building characters, and sticking to it is more efficient. Level to 10, buy X, Y, and Z gear. Level to 20, buy A, B, and C gear. etc. The end result is a bunch of identically geared characters. No duping or cheating involved.

Its a TOON! leave it to the "master" race to be snobs about something else in the gaming community. Your a blight.

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Originally Posted by Eekiki

They're RMT bots. This is what they've done since 1.0, and even in FFXI. A full party of Tarutaru / Lalafell BLMs running around collecting "product".

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Yeah figured as much~ ^^ trouble with these is unless you see them breaking rules or doing some obvious cheating you can't really report them.

What would you say? "X Y & Z were in a party together. They looked and geared exactly the same and were following each other around." Mm hmm :rolleyes:

My character is not a Toon ;__; She is a cute Elezen female who has a tragic past that haunts her. On the outside she shows nothing, but all she does is trying to make everything right and fullfilling the cause her parents died for.

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Originally Posted by Lunavi

She is a cute Elezen female who has a tragic past that haunts her. On the outside she shows nothing, but all she does is trying to make everything right and fullfilling the cause her parents died for.

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Sounds like a typical anime character. A toon she is.

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Originally Posted by ubernoobNTH

Sounds like a typical anime character. A toon she is.

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Sounds like a character the player created. Most people I know that laugh at people using the term toon, tend to try to use the most correct word to describe something. So when they see someone use the word toon to describe a character, even though the usage goes far back, it doesn't feel right in the slightest.

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Originally Posted by Lunavi

My character is not a Toon ;__; She is a cute Elezen female who has a tragic past that haunts her. On the outside she shows nothing, but all she does is trying to make everything right and fullfilling the cause her parents died for.

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My characters backstory is better. He is out after the man who, on one stormy night in Old Gridania, stole my Dark Pretzel that my parents bought for me. I SEEK VENGENCE AND HUNGER TO BE SATED! I AM THE GRUMBLING TUMMY IN THE NIGHT. I, AM, FATMAN!

Back on topic:

It is very doubtful that these are multi-boxing RMT bots. I used to triple- and quad-box in WoW, and I have always despised RMTs. I do have two service accounts in FF14, but rarely login to both at the same time. I will eventually be doing so to slightly increase gathering efficiency, but that is only for my own crafting needs. My gaming time is limited, making it difficult to get what I need when each specific unspoiled node only spawns every 70 minutes (earth time). Being able to get 2-4 HQ from a node vs. 1-2 means I might be able to make 1 upgrade per day instead of 1 every 2 days.

If RMTs were indeed multi-boxing, you would see them all over the place. Unfortunately, "boxing" just takes too much effort for very little reward in FF14. Although it is allowed, SE did not make it advantageous to do so. RMTs will naturally look for the most efficient way to make gil, and I can assure you that "boxing" is far from efficient. If you see a "boxer" in FF14, they are most likely a regular player who is just bored and looking for a greater challenge.

I'm not sure how a term used to refer to a online PC since the 90's has become derogatory.
If someone has an issue with "toon" I would assume they are newish to the MMO genre.
If someone would use avatar to describe their character I would probably go into a laughing fit.

It's strange how language changes though.
I remember after leaving EQ saying to a group I was gtg after a brief afk. They all got pissed off at me and I realized that outside of EQ gtg doesn't mean "good to go" after a afk return.

As for the OP, you probably just saw a multi-box RMT farmer.

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Originally Posted by Gnova

It's strange how language changes though.

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One that really annoys me is seeing "PST me". Please send tell me? I've actually asked someone who had used it like this once, and they said they thought it meant "pssst" me. As in what you say to someone who you want to whisper to.

I was saddened.

Could be collection of RMT bots.

It's quite common to see a bunch of them logging in around a delivery Moogle and then logging off.

Similar to the aethytre camps in 1.23.

http://i.imgur.com/ZIGzC.jpg


On a note of opinion, people saying 'toon' is just awful.
I can understand the reasoning, but eugh. "My toon looks like x!" makes me think they're playing a 2006 browser based 2D teenage chat-room.

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Originally Posted by RumiP

"toon"

regrettable

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I dont personally have a problem with the name "toon" but hell fire ur lala is cute as a button!

I don't much like the term 'toon,' but I've come to grips with it and let it slide.

But when someone types 'deeps' instead of 'dps' I want to reach through the screen and throttle them.

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Originally Posted by Uielyave

It's probably a duel boxer. There's practical platoons of them in WoW.
I saw one earlier, all miqo'te females and all White Mages, all in the same gear, same FC, all following each other. Dunno if it's against TOS or what, though, or if its Gil sellers or people with far too much money to blow.

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Theres a big group of them in Ul'dah, zoning in and out of the inn, all day lol All wearing vanya body, dyed the same shade of blue, with the same blm staff.

>toon

But in all seriousness, sounds botty. They might just be characters from one multi-boxer using the same saved appearance data over and over though.
inb4 >greentext

ahh so it's FFXI vs WoW thing, I'll let y'all sort that out.

Usually when someone see something like that and wants to post it on a forum they take enough screenshots to make a short animated film.

I don't doubt it though, I already believe they are generating their own Gil . Pure speculation though.

After the second time toon was used I had to stop reading, sorry....

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Originally Posted by Castillan

Awww crap. Looks like the game crash corrupted the video capture file... :(

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http://blog.nuffnang.com.my/wp-conte...4_KFSNWKQ9.gif

/jumps on that bandwagon.

Did somebody say toon? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhkNLHictW8

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Originally Posted by RumiP

Toon is an old EQ/WoW term that should be left behind.

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But .. but .. I still PLAY EQ!

I can't leave behind a term from a game I'm still playing!

On a less .. whimsical .. note, I should state that the situation the OP describes does NOT sound like a boxer, but it *could* be. I just don't know. It would depend upon the degree of automation (botting) that the boxer makes use of.

First, the point of boxing. You box because you cannot find groups, you do not want to find groups, or you simply would prefer to provide the group essentials yourself and maybe take along an incidental person or two along the way should one happen along, all while looking to actually do group, rather than just solo, content. That requires that you have characters that fill the various roles of a group : tank, healer, damage dealer, crowd control (only real CC in this game is Sleep/Repose, more a necessity in other MMO's). You rarely have multiple characters of the same class, unless that class literally can do it all (EQ's Magician, or FF14's Summoner) OR the class in question is the best combination of "high damage, low attention" damage dealing class the game offers.

Second, the economics of gearing. While bought gear (and, to a point, crafted) is relatively simple to obtain, higher levels of gear are not. Often, gearing up one character is at the expense of another, even if it is a simple question of which class can use the item that dropped from the boss this time. After you get out of the crafted or storebought gear (as opposed to gear bought from the market board or whatever version of a bazaar the game uses) you will never find two boxed characters of the same class geared identically while they are gearing up (unless the boxer is deliberately avoiding dropped upgrades). The upgrades that drop for one will not always drop for the other.

The OP reports three or four WHM's, all identically geared, in a mix of AF and other stuff. The gear level suggests that they are still gearing up in the range of storebought/crafted, so they are not necessarily into the realm of uneven drops (short of aetheryte drops from dungeons). That means that identical gear is a real possibility. The fact that they are all WHM's, however, is what makes it so suspect. WHM's .. don't tank. They can deal great PBAE damage, as long as the mana holds out, but Holy is SUCH a mana-intensive spell, you cannot get a great deal of casts out of it before needing to recharge. Could four WHM's plow through low level dungeons? Could four WHM's plow through level 50 dungeons? I don't know. Holy is quite an effective PBAE spell, it really puts WHM's on the map for group damage dealing.

My gut says that 4 WHM's would be horribly inefficient at running any level of dungeon other than Dzemael Darkhold and possibly Aurum Vale, simply due to the combination of mob HP and the costs of Holy ... but in theory it could be possible for them to run around all wily nilly Aero'ing and Stone'ing. That's just not boxed character behavior though. You lose too much efficacy controlling more than one character at a time.

In theory, I could see it possibly being a boxer ... but my gut says its something worse.

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Originally Posted by Gnova

I'm not sure how a term used to refer to a online PC since the 90's has become derogatory.
If someone has an issue with "toon" I would assume they are newish to the MMO genre.
If someone would use avatar to describe their character I would probably go into a laughing fit.

It's strange how language changes though.
I remember after leaving EQ saying to a group I was gtg after a brief afk. They all got pissed off at me and I realized that outside of EQ gtg doesn't mean "good to go" after a afk return.

.

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Not new to MMOs; it's just the Final Fantasy way. No one uses the term "toon". In XI it would get one mocked and ridiculed. XIV is a bit lighter the ridiculing is now more in jest. It does make me cringe when I hear or read it, but if someone wants to refer to them as "toons" then who the hell am I to say hey can't or shouldn't.

Toons >_>.
http://xtremewalls.com/cartoon/loone...ons-008-01.jpg

Really? You guys took this thread this far out, over the term toon? And then say this is not WOW? The game that's basically 90% WOW?
Sad.

Anyway, OP.
As previously noted, that's multiboxing. It's just a guy with enough money to run around as 4+ characters.

You know what upsets me?! :O

When people say "Raid" referring to doing basically anything. This game has very few Raids. Labyrinth of the Ancients, and Coil. Just open the Duty Finder and check if you don't believe me. ; ;

So anyway on toon....I mean on toon...er on topic, right. I think you should toon....toon...and uhm I mean toon and toon toon toon....toon....toon. Toon toon, toon...

...toon.

I'm sorry, I tried but I just can't.

Toon.

*eye twitch*

It's really easy to tell that most of the people in this thread are fairly new to MMOs. "Toon...!?" "Dualboxers...!?"

Lots of people dual box, RMTs and non-RMTs.

A few points...

1. We really need a sticky at the top of the forum. "Please do not use the term "toon" in your posts or they will be derailed." Of course, this leads us straight to the issue of stickies being useless...

2. As much as I like entomology and watching what we say, it seems to me that it boils down to "toon" being detestable because it's too... childish?

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Originally Posted by C.S. Lewis

To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence.

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And before you say "FFXIV isn't cartoonish!" I'd like to point out that I'm a catman who can slide around with my feet firmly planted on the ground while making my sword do glowy splash effects. (Rage of Halone) All I need is Hildibrand faces and I'm all set.

3. I'd like to make a motion to change what is left of this discussion towards a bigger problem than "toon": the accursed phrases "ATM Machine" and "PIN Number." Another matter is that people are taught how to use their/there/they're and its/it's in grade school, yet the problems persist through to high school (and beyond). Also that English is a horrible language to have as the world standard. Let's discuss those, if we must derail threads.

4. My toon brings all the deeps to the Garuru fightz. W00T.

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Originally Posted by SavageWolf

One that really annoys me is seeing "PST me". Please send tell me? I've actually asked someone who had used it like this once, and they said they thought it meant "pssst" me. As in what you say to someone who you want to whisper to.

I was saddened.

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Ohhhh. I've never used it, but thanks for that clarification. I had no idea it was an acronym...

Sounds like you've met an RMT squad OP.

Now for the real topic at hand... toons..... *burns the word* I am far too adorable to be considered a mere "toon"!

On a more serious not I dislike the word and the use of it in ANY game because I make characters not toons. I never really criticize its use outside of a funny stare.

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Originally Posted by Bladeglory

too... childish?

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I wouldn't use C.S. Lewis quotes to back up my criticism of how others may find something childish. He was an admitted pederast. The more you know...

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Originally Posted by RumiP

"toon"

regrettable

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toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon toon

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Originally Posted by SavageWolf

One that really annoys me is seeing "PST me". Please send tell me? I've actually asked someone who had used it like this once, and they said they thought it meant "pssst" me. As in what you say to someone who you want to whisper to.

I was saddened.

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Even worse is 'please PST me.'

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Originally Posted by TheRac25

tons of toons

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It loses its power to annoy when you just repeat it like that.

It loses its power to annoy when you just repeat it like that..:cool:

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Originally Posted by Inquisitor

Even worse is 'please PST me.'

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Oh, yes! I must have mentally blocked that one. The overload of cluelessness may have been too much for me!