Could we please get an official list of what is cheating and what is not?

[Azurymber]

There are a number of things in this game that could be considered cheating or against ToS, but are constantly debated on this board. The issue is that players who want to be fair and not break rules often don't partake in these activities. But people who take advantage of them end up gaining numerous benefits.

It seems like it would make a lot of sense to just have a page that defines what is acceptable and what is not.

Here are a few issues that don't seem to be clear to most players.

1. PVP win trading / boosting.
Is it ok to trade wins to get wolf marks or achievement progress?
Is it ok to trade wins to gain ranks in ranked pvp?
Is it ok to have have friends lose against you in order to boost your rank in ranked pvp?

2. Hunt Marker 3rd Party Programs
Is it ok to use a third party program that reports when hunt mobs are seen, and report their location on the map, even when you aren't in the zone? (Yes 3rd party programs are supposed to be against ToS, but there are many linkshells that exist based on this process)

3. Special Offers (Like the current amazon one)
Is it ok to order a product and then cancel it just to get a code?

4. Triple Triad Multi-Account Tournament Wins
Is it ok to use multiple accounts to push yourself to the top of the tournament ranks (getting the nice mgp reward and special cards)?

5. Vermillion Multi-Account Tournament Wins
Is it ok to use multiple accounts to feed yourself wins to rank high in the tournament (for the mgp rewards)

6. House Selling
Is it ok to sell houses (charge people to abandon properties)? Lots of people claim this is against ToS, but people still do this on a regular basis and claim that it's not. Is it ok when people buy multiple houses with different accounts or different characters in order to resell them for profit?

7. Trading Game Codes & Mogstation Items for Gil
Is it ok to trade codes (e.g. the current amazon codes) for gil in game to someone who can't afford to buy from amazon? Is it ok to buy people stuff like fantasia for gil?

Examples of Why These Aren't Clear

I personally wouldn't do what I listed above. But at the same time, they seem to be very acceptable to many people. And there are many threads on this board where people argue about them being against the ToS or being allowed.

For example, in this pvp thread some people justify "boosting" (win trading): http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...9-and-Boosting

And in this thread here people are debating whether or not it's ok to order an amazon product and then cancel it in order to get the code for the promotion items but not spend money: http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...is-it-stealing

Similarly if you look back to when the most recent major patch launched, people were debating selling houses.

What I'm Requesting

I'm not arguing SE should ban people, or that the things listed should be allowed. All I'm asking for is official confirmation on what is allowed and not allowed, so that everyone can be on a level playing field .

This could be a rules thread, A lodestone section, an addition to ToS, etc. Anything that would provide specific clarification on what is a ToS violation and what is acceptable, without having to reference an offhand remark from a live letter years ago (e.g. in the case of pvp win trading)

[SaitoHikari]

2. Hunt Marker 3rd Party Programs
Is it ok to use a third party program that reports when hunt mobs are seen, and report their location on the map, even when you aren't in the zone? (Yes 3rd party programs are supposed to be against ToS, but there are many linkshells that exist based on this process)

From what I understand, this thing started out as a chat filter that, for a lot of people, is really the only lasting solution to the RMT bot spam problem. The hunt marker just happens to be an additional feature of that program...

For that reason, I'd imagine SE going after people that actually use it would only result in a massive riot, considering the general perception in the community already thinks that SE isn't doing anything about the RMT problem as is. But should SE implement an official chat filter, nobody could argue that the program would have any legitimate use any longer.

(Although that would also likely lead to bots trying to find other ways to get past everyone's filters...)

[Kurand0]

3. Special Offers (Like the current amazon one)
Is it ok to order a product and then cancel it just to get a code?

This isn't really limited to FFXIV itself but it's definitely a pretty crappy thing to do.

[HakaseNyan]

SE won't be giving a specific list of what's okay and what isn't. Saves the argument of, "it's not on the list" if they did something wrong that wasn't covered. They pretty much reserve the right to warn and/or ban you for anything morally, if not logically(some people are pretty daft) wrong, and not defined. Besides, moral ambiguity doesn't apply to most of those points.

It's fairly obvious people just want to game the system and get away with it.

[Cakekizyy]

If you're not sure, you probably shouldn't be doing it.

[Kosmos992k]

With a defined list of what is considrered cheating you are essentially telling people how they can cheat because they know what to avoid to avoid punishment. If you define principles and guidelines with out specifics, you can respond to any new, previously unknown or unexpected cheat that comes up. With a defined list, you cannot easily respond to new ways of cheating.

[ChandraNoctis]

It's not rocket science. Throwing a match of any sport or game is cheating (deliberately losing for some gain, whether yours or a friends). Trading anything bought with real money for gil is specifically against the TOS. Etc... All of these things involve gaming the system and inherently breaking the rules to some degree.

This is not difficult to figure out and not the question you want answered.

Of course it's cheating - what you want to know is if there are penalties for such actions or if it is considered minor enough to be overlooked. Which is a fair enough question but not one that is likely to be given a definite answer.

[KooKooKachoo]

I think you might find the answers here. FFXIV User Agreement - FINAL FANTASY XIV Support Center

Instead of making another thread or replying to this, why don't you go ahead and read that and if you personally feel someone has violated any of the listed things why don’t you just report them in game rather than making yet another thread about the same topic for the last two years.

[Azurymber]

As obvious as some of these things are (like win trading), SE has essentially justified them in the past. When people used to win trade wolves den, I'm fairly sure it was publicly stated people wouldn't be banned. And people were just asked to stop (which they didn't).

So now people are using that to justify win-trading to rank up. Which essentially ruins the entire pvp ranking system (which is meant to be competitive) for people who are legitimately ranking up.

My issue is that the ambiguity ruins a number of different in-game systems. And no one seems to be aware of whether or not things are reportable. People just debate the ethics of things (e.g. in the threads I linked to). But there is no concrete answer on whether or not it's ok. And a lot of people just assume no answer means it's alright to do it.

[Alien_Gamer]

As others have stated, a defined list will never work. It just tells cheaters what to avoid without actually stopping them. Its also impossible to create a list of every concievable means of cheating; all you can do is create a set of broad guidelines to fit as many scenarios as possible. This is called the Terms of Service. Perfect? No. But its the best you'll get.