8 replies to this topic

[CaptC]

I suspect I have found a cheater. Should I report them? If so, how?

 

Playata intends all BBE servers to be clean and free of cheating. But the game is very big, and cheaters are very inventive. It is simply not possible to catch everything. There is not enough computing power in the world to check every player, every day, for every possible form of cheating.

 

For that reason, we always encourage members of the community to help us catch misbehavior. If you suspect cheating, we strongly urge you to tell us! 

 

Diamond Hacks

 

One of the more common accusations we get sounds something like: "MaxxDomLisa must be hacking! There is no way they are actually spending that much money on a flash game!" We are happy to check out such players, but we must note: Players bring very different budgets to this game. What seems excessive to you, may not be so excessive to another.

 

Multi-accounts

 

We find that the most common form of cheating is actually multi-accounting, also known as multi-play or "running an alt". Players are only allowed to log in to one account per server, and each player must have their own personal account. You may not share login information with another player. You agree to these restrictions when you accept the terms of service for the game.

 

Many or most players who run alts are not trying to warp the competitive balance of the game... they just enjoy playing, and want to try different strategies, or be part of more than one studio experience, or even just have two different looking paper dolls to dress. For such players, please note that there are multiple servers. You may enjoy multiple game experiences legally, by having one avatar on each of several servers.

 

Other players are not so benign. They want to spy and know more than they should, or strengthen avatars or studios artificially, or coordinate the actions of multiple studios for the benefit of one of their avatars or studios.

 

Regardless of intent, all forms of multi-accounts are illegal.

 

Studio Collusion

 

Another common complaint is that multiple studios are colluding together to protect trophies. Studio A is constantly under attack by two other studios.The two coordinating studios are not strong enough to take a trophy from Studio A, but despite that, they consistently attack Studio A anyway. Studios which can defeat Studio A are thus denied the opportunity to take a trophy from Studio A. 

 

Free collaboration between studios is allowed, if the players involved agree. There is nothing in the game that prevents cooperative play. However, it is illegal if multi-players are controlling the subordinate studios. The multi-players will be sanctioned appropriately.

 

Reporting

 

Use the same procedure for reporting a bug, as detailed here: https://forum.uk.big...do-i-report-it/. Please give us specific allegations, and as much information as you can about the infractions.

• "Please get rid of the cheaters on this server!" does not really help support. If we know someone is cheating, we already take action. 
• "I am pretty certain that PlayerXYZ has left the game, but someone is still playing his account. He doesn't respond to my messages anymore." At least support has a starting point.
• "I am quite certain that AvatarA and PlayerB are the same player. He has even admitted it to me." Allegations this specific can be checked out quite quickly.

Privacy

 

It is necessary that support be very careful when investigating cheating allegations, particularly regarding multi-accounts. For example, it is not unusual for siblings or couples to play together. They will often appear to be a single person to outside observers.

 

If the allegations are correct, support will generally take visible action as soon as we confirm the transgression. Please be patient while we investigate.

 

But if the allegations prove unfounded, support cannot give much information about why. We cannot compromise the privacy of the exonerated accounts. We operate under European Union privacy laws, and it is simply not legal for us to explain to the complainer that they have found two brothers playing together.

 

We understand that this can often be problematic to players submitting tickets. They see action sometimes... but other times, nothing happens and there is no explanation. We are often accused of ignoring cheaters, and sometimes that we are coddling them because they spend lots of money. Please be assured that support welcomes your reports, that we do indeed investigate, that we do not care about how many diamonds an offender buys, and that we take action as appropriate.

 

We want a clean game.

We welcome your help in keeping it that way.

 

                                                                                          Click here to return to the FAQ index

[mountbara]

Interesting. I was not aware that having multiple accounts on a server was against TOS. I never do, I prefer to put full effort into one account, but most sites do not actually prohibit multiple accounts, they prohibit collusion between them. Good to know, thank you Capt!

[mountbara]

1. Clause 3 User's Obligations

1. 1. The user assures that he or she is of legal age. To the extent that the user is a minor, the latter assures that he or she has obtained an effective consent of his or her legal representatives.

1. 2. The conclusion of the contract may only be performed personally, and must not be performed automatically or by third parties.

1. 3. The user is only allowed to use the service offer with not more than one account per game world (server) of Big Bang Empire. This means that it shall not be possible for a registered user to open a new account in the same game world unless the previous account has been deleted. The creation and keeping of several accounts in the same game world (multi-accounts) is prohibited. Such multi-accounts can be blocked and deleted at any time without previous warning at Playata GmbH's own discretion.

1. 4. The user undertakes to use his or her account exclusively for private purposes in line with the service offers. Commercial use in whatever form shall be expressly prohibited. This prohibition also includes the dissemination of advertisements and other commercial offers.

1. 5. The account is person-related and expressly not transferable. Therefore, the user undertakes not to transfer his or her account to third parties, neither against payment nor by way of donation.

1. 6. The user undertakes to keep his or her login data and especially his or her passwords strictly confidential and to protect them against unauthorized access by third parties. What we mean by “login data” and/or “passwords” are all letter and/or character and/or number strings used to authenticate the user with the aim to exclude access by unauthorized third parties. The password must not be identical with the player's name and must include a combination of numbers and letters.

1. 7. The user shall be prohibited from using the login data of another user.

1. 8. The user undertakes to contact the operator directly if there is a suspicion that third parties have obtained or might have obtained the login data without authorization. If a suspicion of abuse or a risk of abuse exists, Playata GmbH shall be permitted to block the accounts involved temporarily until the suspicion has been eliminated.

1. 9. Manipulative interventions in the service offers are prohibited. These include, in particular, the use of software and mechanisms disturbing the service offers or procuring an unfair advantage over fellow players to the user. Among other things, the creation and/or use of hacks, mods, cheats, bots, data-mining tools and automated browser plugins shall be prohibited.

[hot16]

While having these rules in place is fine, enforcing them is likely a whole different ball of wax.  Accusing and calling out other players is no fun.  If there was a way for the developers to monitor the servers for multiple accounts and hacks, that would be an ideal solution.  

 

The most egregious results I have seen as a result of multiple accounts and excessive diamond spending (not against the rules) is how it affects temple competition. 

 

I've seen where a player with multiple accounts in one studio was able to elevate the standing of the studio in temple by several places. 

 

I've also seen where one or two players in one studio can spend so many diamonds that other studios have no chance of competing in temple (again, not against the rules-- but super annoying).

 

So I think the key is to be a good sport.  Sure you can win the Tour de France multiple times by using performance enhancing drugs, but is that really the same thing as winning it once without an overt advantage over the remaining competition?

 

The responsibility is on us, as individual players, to stay within the rules and also to play in a manner that allows for competition.  Save a couple of those diamonds and buy me dinner instead

 

Temple is crucial for up and coming studios.  I know first hand because that was one avenue our studio used to catch up to the other studios ahead of us.  At the time, there was not as rampant and extreme diamond use.  Even as a new studio without heavy diamond resources, we could compete just by working hard in temple competition.  I don't think that's the case now.

 

An additional thought I had is to design the temples in such a way that diamonds help but to some limit..... Again, this is so that we can have balanced competition and the game is more fun. Temple competition shouldn't be about who is willing to donate the most money to playata.

[Terrorsin]

To Hot16:  This game is all about spending diamonds!

 

Anyway, my suggestion is to have mandatory password change every 6 months.  This will get rid of leftover accounts.  Multi-accounts will be difficult to detect as families and friends may be playing together under one internet connection.

[CaptC]

Multi-accounts will be difficult to detect as families and friends may be playing together under one internet connection.

 

Families and friends playing on the same connection are advised to always use separate devices for logging in. For example, each player should use their own phone, and should never log in via the other player's phone.

[hotlipps]

While having these rules in place is fine, enforcing them is likely a whole different ball of wax.  Accusing and calling out other players is no fun.  If there was a way for the developers to monitor the servers for multiple accounts and hacks, that would be an ideal solution.  

 

The most egregious results I have seen as a result of multiple accounts and excessive diamond spending (not against the rules) is how it affects temple competition. 

 

I've seen where a player with multiple accounts in one studio was able to elevate the standing of the studio in temple by several places. 

 

I've also seen where one or two players in one studio can spend so many diamonds that other studios have no chance of competing in temple (again, not against the rules-- but super annoying).

 

So I think the key is to be a good sport.  Sure you can win the Tour de France multiple times by using performance enhancing drugs, but is that really the same thing as winning it once without an overt advantage over the remaining competition?

 

The responsibility is on us, as individual players, to stay within the rules and also to play in a manner that allows for competition.  Save a couple of those diamonds and buy me dinner instead

 

Temple is crucial for up and coming studios.  I know first hand because that was one avenue our studio used to catch up to the other studios ahead of us.  At the time, there was not as rampant and extreme diamond use.  Even as a new studio without heavy diamond resources, we could compete just by working hard in temple competition.  I don't think that's the case now.

 

An additional thought I had is to design the temples in such a way that diamonds help but to some limit..... Again, this is so that we can have balanced competition and the game is more fun. Temple competition shouldn't be about who is willing to donate the most money to playata.

 

Where would we go for dinner Hottie. I am one of those diamond spenders mostly the studio I belong to it's members are passive players so it is hard for us to win a temple. Myself I sat for 9 months watching 2 other studio's win temples after temple the most I could do was use diamonds to win in the top 3 of solo temple which for some reason gave cause to some to attach a past players bad reputation upon me even though I had never won a temple at that point. Sadly one of those studios was also at the point in taking over all of the top spots in the big bang awards until I learned of the magic of the refresh button in the voting page itself. Thus controlling the bba for the last six months it was not until after making friends from a couple new studio's were we able to put together a studio 9 months into my playing the game did I win my first temple with these other players and it was a energy temple where diamonds was not a factor pure luck came in our favor. We did move some of those players over to another studio where we hoped the trophies of that studio would help us win more temples. Sadly the game did not play any of those temples while these players were in this studio instead it played out diamond spending temples where anyone willing to spend the diamonds could win such temples as long as they had enough players to help in the points of the temple. I did just that on a couple but I seen these other 2 studio's do it several times in the past so they just got what was coming to them right back. Sadly I have been under attack in this game from since day one, accused of having doubles just because I use the math system of the game in my favor through the use of diamonds I do not use doubles and it does bother me when other studio's do and plant those alt's as you will in our studio to spy and do nothing for us in temple points and the minute you boot them out of your studio they are taken back to the studio where they were created and begin playing in a manner that is beneficial for that studio sadly it is hard to say who their creator is because they continue to do this all the time. And yes it would be nice if the game could monitor for this but they do not care and as Capt C has said report it to support one such studio catnip was using a lot of doubles and I asked a member in another studio to report them for they were using these doubles to steal temple points from them. They did and about 6 to 8 players were deleted from the game. I could give you a list of players who are suspect in being doubles if you would like I am very good at figuring out who is a double there are at least 4 on us2 server right now that I know are.

[mountbara]

The word that comes to mind is bloviate. Best wishes for you and continued success.

 

 

Where would we go for dinner Hottie. I am one of those diamond spenders mostly the studio I belong to it's members are passive players so it is hard for us to win a temple. Myself I sat for 9 months watching 2 other studio's win temples after temple the most I could do was use diamonds to win in the top 3 of solo temple which for some reason gave cause to some to attach a past players bad reputation upon me even though I had never won a temple at that point. Sadly one of those studios was also at the point in taking over all of the top spots in the big bang awards until I learned of the magic of the refresh button in the voting page itself. Thus controlling the bba for the last six months it was not until after making friends from a couple new studio's were we able to put together a studio 9 months into my playing the game did I win my first temple with these other players and it was a energy temple where diamonds was not a factor pure luck came in our favor. We did move some of those players over to another studio where we hoped the trophies of that studio would help us win more temples. Sadly the game did not play any of those temples while these players were in this studio instead it played out diamond spending temples where anyone willing to spend the diamonds could win such temples as long as they had enough players to help in the points of the temple. I did just that on a couple but I seen these other 2 studio's do it several times in the past so they just got what was coming to them right back. Sadly I have been under attack in this game from since day one, accused of having doubles just because I use the math system of the game in my favor through the use of diamonds I do not use doubles and it does bother me when other studio's do and plant those alt's as you will in our studio to spy and do nothing for us in temple points and the minute you boot them out of your studio they are taken back to the studio where they were created and begin playing in a manner that is beneficial for that studio sadly it is hard to say who their creator is because they continue to do this all the time. And yes it would be nice if the game could monitor for this but they do not care and as Capt C has said report it to support one such studio catnip was using a lot of doubles and I asked a member in another studio to report them for they were using these doubles to steal temple points from them. They did and about 6 to 8 players were deleted from the game. I could give you a list of players who are suspect in being doubles if you would like I am very good at figuring out who is a double there are at least 4 on us2 server right now that I know are.

[CaptC]

There is no reason for subterfuge, Hotlipps. Post tickets yourself, and save the effort of recruiting someone else.

Support looks at all reports on the basis of the evidence, and solely on the evidence provided. We don't care who makes the report, or why. We also don't care about whether either the reporter or reportee is in a competitive studio, or how they are doing in temple, or how many diamonds they buy.