[Request] Add user-defined /tell filter

[Enkidoh]

Quite often, I get these tells from people I don't know. The tells are very formulaic and often identical to many other tells sent to me by other people I don't know. The common words they contain are not ones that people I do know would ever use, even ironically.

Could we please have a filter for our /tell channel, where we can enter a list of words, and if a /tell contains any of those words, we do not see the /tell? The list would be saved locally so it would not take up server space, and it is just a small amount of text so it shouldn't be a problem even for PS3s. If it is a problem for PS3s, then just add in this feature for computers, and PS3 players can wait until official add-on support is added.

Thank you for listening.

The problem is, as much as I fully support this, SE tried a similar /tell filter for FFXI to combat RMT, and it worked... for a while. Then the RMT realized what words were being filtered (specifically, web addresses), and so started using creative ways of getting around the filter (using things like replacing 'www' with 'eee'), meaning any such attempt here would ultimately end in failure sadly.

Your idea of a more dynamic user-defined filter might actually be more effective than the 'SE defined' one though as it would be easier to block RMT whenever they find an exploit.

Sadly though, I think no matter what SE does, it's a constant battle with SE changing things which the RMT will inevitably finds ways around. It's a vicious cycle with no easy fix.

[Niwashi]

Your idea of a more dynamic user-defined filter might actually be more effective than the 'SE defined' one though as it would be easier to block RMT whenever they find an exploit.

The advantages of having the filter be user-defined are that it can be maintained as dynamically as the user wishes and be as broad or specific as the user wishes, as well as the fact that, because each player's filter is a bit different, it's much harder for the spammers to actually know what's being widely filtered and come up with suitable workarounds for it.

The biggest disadvantage of it being user-defined is that anyone who doesn't have such filters set up is still getting the full brunt of unfiltered spam. This includes new players getting their first impression of the game, as well as anyone who simply hasn't taken the time to update their spam filters lately. There are a lot of players who don't put much effort into specializing and configuring their interface, and such players likely wouldn't have much if any spam filtering if they had to set it up and maintain it on their own.

The most effective version of chat filters would likely be a combined approach, where SE filters out as much spam as they can, but then also allows individual users to set additional filters to catch anything that made it through SE's net.