A proposed way to curb wasted time on Ultima ed. or other pirated editions.

[pyrozen]

i think the best ideas so far are implementing the word filter, and possibly the "game edition" question when signing up. However, both methods are easily circumvented by someone in the know by lying.

 

[sl1982]

Well if they are smart enough to lie about that then they should be smart enough to lie about using it on here. Then we would get to stop warning people all the time.

 

[Bosola]

I may be incorrect, but it seems the moderators waste even more time dealing with people who necro threads. I've been on boards where older threads are automatically locked. I don't see why you don't do that, or at least have a large blinking banner whenever you reply to an old thread warning of potential rule violation. But maybe this sort of thing has already been implemented. I haven't necro'd any threads lately.

For the pirated version prevention, the word detection method will probably help. An alternative might be a mandatory question during sign-up with a dropdown box: "Where did you acquire your copy of FF7?" [ebay, Craigslist, pawn shop, Salvation Army, used game store, a friend, The Pirate Bay, Rapidshare, Mega Upload, other download, etc.] Maybe have a box for "If other, please explain..."

I don't know about SMF, but I've seen other forums with similar systems in place - for instance, prompting users to mark their specific interests / the sections of the site they'll be using. The only issue is that Qhimm isn't an FF7-only site. That, and the fact noone will bother filling it in.

I think it's easier if we just, as a community, agree to the following:

* Respond to all tech support threads with a request for full information on version played, mods used, etc.
* Calmly copypaste a boilerplate "Unfortunately, the Ultima Edition..." text
* Say nothing else to the member in questions r.e. his/her broken game.

 

[pyrozen]

I think it's easier if we just, as a community, agree to the following:

* Respond to all tech support threads with a request for full information on version played, mods used, etc.
* Calmly copypaste a boilerplate "Unfortunately, the Ultima Edition..." text
* Say nothing else to the member in questions r.e. his/her broken game.

i think this is the best course of action, it still allows us to identify pirates immediately(thank you Ultima Edition) and we won't waste any more time arguing the merits of actually purchasing the game. After that, simply shunning the member or muting them should be sufficient.

lee

 

[Bosola]

To elaborate, my argument is:

1. We need version information anyway. With so many ways of (legally) playing the game (with Aali's drivers, the 1.02 patch, through WINE, etc.), we need to get into the habit of asking "How are you playing" anyhow.

2. Calm boilerplate text explains the situation elegantly and non-confrontationally. It prevents posters personally engaging themselves with what is often quite frustrating (clueless, knowledge-sapping noobs, to be specific), and reduces flames / stress.

3. After this, stonewalling tech requests with boilerplate text is quick and will soon get the message across.

What text? Well

Unfortunately, we are unable to assist with pirated, cracked or torrented copies of the game, such as the Ultima Edition. Besides being illegal, these versions are often corrupt or altered significantly. They may have unexpected errors, or work differently from the original version. Therefore, we can only troubleshoot official versions of Final Fantasy 7 PC.

If you cannot find the PC version, the PSOne version can now be downloaded from Sony's PSN Store.

Yes, using the term 'official' is a bit clumsy and technically inaccurate, but most newbies will immediately get my gist when reading it (because software companies regularly like to marry the idea of an 'official version' with that of 'reliability'.)

 

[battlemage210]

I dont recall when i SIGNED UP for the forum.. but was there not a disclaimer straight away when signing up that such pirated and illegal software support was not allowed? If not.. would it be possible to just add a big "We cant/wont give any assistance with these types of issues." upon signup?

 

[Senti]

How many people do you know will actually read through those?

 

[battlemage210]

point taken. but if it had something like a big banner before you click submit, or even before you put your personal information in.

 

[pyrozen]

point taken. but if it had something like a big banner before you click submit, or even before you put your personal information in.

the best one ive thought of so far is a simple question asking what version of the game you have:
Normal PC
PS1
PSP
Ultima

Any answer of ultima should automatically give the user the name tag of !!PIRATE!! :lol: Im not sure if this is even possible in SMF forums though.

lee