MMOG Sites Under IGE Merging?

CTD writes "Grimwell Online notes that IGE has announced a merger of networks involving: Thottbott, Allakhazam, OGaming, and L2Orphus. There is a thread in the Allakhazam forums that brings all the release data together - but still leaves some questions about what is to come. Grimwell raises one in his post about this: 'Even more fun for our friends who work PR for gaming companies. IGE = RMT, which is not the Devil - but is not exactly welcomed at most companies. Will this move help push things past the tipping point and force developers to deal with the new, larger network?'"

Comments

Very thourough detail on IGE, this purchase &

[CTD]

This was put where I could find it, and is a very interesting read. Lots of great detail about IGE/Allakhazam if you want to learn more.

http://wow.azzor.com/445/truth_about_IGE.php

Right, who could blame IGE?

[Somatic]

Yeah, blame the sellers for meeting demand. Except they didn't create the demand, Square-Enix did. It's Square-Enix's game design that causes the demand that the gold sellers exploit. [...] It's hardly IGE's fault that Square-Enix misdesigned their game.

I see. So, because these companies only destroy half the games they infiltrate, that makes it ok. The games that do get ruined were asking for it. Pick a different reason for every game, but it's the game designer's fault for not being able to handle these cartels when they try to take over. Because after all, this has only happened to FFXI.

Cartels like IGE ruin games for profit. They work full time, either exploiting bugs or taking what they want by brute force. They're larger than the largest guilds. They have the financial means, and the manpower, to get what they want in any of a hundred ways.

Blaming the gamers or the game designers for the fact that these guys exist is like blaming someone for getting mugged. Yes, you had a lock on your front door, but was it a titanium lock with 53 bolts? Because these guys just designed a way to pick the old 52-bolt locks last week. Go ahead and upgrade, but just remember, there are a thousand guys in your hallway with hundreds of millions of dollars of resources, and they'll be working on that lock 24/7, and every time they get in, it's your fault. Also, you can't tackle the problem like a normal security expert does, because what these guys do is apparently not illegal. They have nothing to lose, in fact everything to gain, by trying again, and again, and again.

Online games obviously need to defend against it better, but blaming them because this huge, sustained effort against them exists is just insane.

Re:The Devil is in the Details...

[GundamFan]

You know... I am tired of hearing "World of Warcraft is the best MMO ever" every time somone mentions another MMO. I won't get into details about why I take issue with WoW... but I will say this, perhaps the reason WoW is so sucessfull has to do with its population rather than specifics of content... if you take any MMO and fill the servers up it will be more fun (for those who can get in) because if you compare WoW to most other MMOs feature to feature it is a very simple game. ...Forgive my rant, have fun in WoW or any other game you deside to play... but please don't try to make everyone who doesn't play guilty about it.

Re:The Devil is in the Details...

[Psmylie]

I never have mod points when I need them. Maybe IGE could get into the "instant rate-up" biz.

I've played FFXI since the NA release. I've never bought gil. I've never farmed excessively, I have one job at 75, and my highest craft skill is 60. And that's in cooking, hardly the best profit maker in the game. And I've always been able to buy what I needed. You don't NEED the best gear, you can get along fine without it, and decent gear for your level is very easy to obtain. The best of the best gear is SUPPOSED to be hard to get, that's what makes it valuable.

SE didn't make things expensive. Players supply almost all the high-end gear. Players set the prices, players pay the prices. Why go and blame SE for something that we did to ourselves?

To the grandparent post, and to anyone else who thinks that you need to zip through this game as fast as possible, and feel the need to buy gil so you never have to be without the best equipment... Maybe this is not the game for you. SE set the rules to the game, and instead of playing by those rules, you cheat. Nobody forces you to cheat or to play this game. Go elsewhere if you can't hack it. And anyone who buys gil/gold/platinum can go straight to hell.