Boost spam in trade chat (and the dangers of legitimizing boosting) (update: we won!)

[Daestra-turalyon]

Well lucky for you i know for sure my realm did back then hence me saying it but because it did not happen to you it did not happen to anyone else ? well you are wrong when it comes to all servers

[Ayellin-kazzak (Ayellin)]

@Daestra-turalyon

but because it did not happen to you it did not happen to anyone else ?

Just because it happened to the server you were on means it was common on All servers?

[Daestra-turalyon]

Did i say that ? no i did not but spam did happen which you are trying to deny but i am not getting into another row with you as its pointless because its always about you and never admitting others can have different experince’s .

[Ayellin-kazzak (Ayellin)]

@Daestra-turalyon

no i did not but spam did happen which you are trying to deny

Did i say that?
No i did not deny anything i told you for the server I was ON it did Not happen.
And the server i was on had the World First kill even the world first guild did not do this.
I never made any claims about any other server at all.

The fact of the matter is this:

@Daestra-turalyon

well you are wrong when it comes to all servers

You are also wrong when it comes to all servers.

You know it is possible to state how it was for you and someone else to have a different experience to you, you should remember that sometime.

[Osangar-aszune (Osangar)]

We definitely had it on Azsune back in TBC and Wrath

[Lunestone-ravencrest]

Few hours later and still no arguments on why large boosting communities or boosting for real money shouldn’t be tackled. All i see is acceptance and “it is the way it is” kind of posts. Look, i dont care what motives people have or had to buy them, the point is that “prestige things” like glad or ksm shouldn’t be bought for money. I dont want to see 1600 rated bobby prancing around on a glad mount.

Never mind all of the disruption that the boosting communities cause with their immense spam in game. If i were a new player and i saw that as soon as I reached a major city, it would be byebye subscription. It also shows how little respect those communities have for the game they’re offering their services in, tbh.

You can say ''they’re doing it on trade chat, it’s the correct place!" but Trade is the only global chat that spans across multiple cities. And even if it’s the correct place, why is there the need to spam the same advertisement 20 times a minute with multiple level 10 alts made just to advertise? There’s too many things wrong with the current situation surrounding this that I can’t understand why some people on this forum are so mellow and borderline accepting of it.

[Moosie-blackmoore]

Never ever heard about it on trade chat sorry.

[Dejarous-draenor (Dejarous)]

@Lunestone-ravencrest

Few hours later and still no arguments on why large boosting communities or boosting for real money shouldn’t be tackled.

They should be tackled. But you’re whole premise is “trade is happening in trade chat!” which is a bit silly.

Heres a hint, close trade. It’s always been useless. If they got boost ads under control it would just be butt jokes again.

[Emje-draenor]

@Lunestone-ravencrest

You can say ''they’re doing it on trade chat, it’s the correct place!" but Trade is the only global chat that spans across multiple cities. And even if it’s the correct place, why is there the need to spam the same advertisement 20 times a minute with multiple level 10 alts made just to advertise?

I have agreed with you on this in several posts

[Lunestone-ravencrest]

The general opinion seems to be that Trade chat has never really had a real place in the game, so my suggestion for it would then be to remove it and just create a global chat instead of it, where boost spam isn’t allowed. Sorry if I seem negative, but I really really dislike how the entire game seems to revolve around circulating money in boosting right now, and the effects that has on other areas of the game.

[Jinini-ravencrest]

the hell u on about with forcing only authenticator accounts to be able to write, are u insane? This is censureship and in NO way stops the gold sellers and other low lifes. It simply prevent ME form being able to use this chat option as i refuse to use a phone or give my phone number, or refuse to install an app just to be able to effing write. You are clearly one of them promoting the limitations of freedom of freedom of speech. This is CENSURE and it is wrong. There are other ways, so really, eff the eff out of here if u think like that.

[Ishida-hellfire]

I remember tradechat used people selling pets and items Now all i see is boosters spamming tradechat

[Ayellin-kazzak (Ayellin)]

@Jinini-ravencrest

. It simply prevent ME form being able to use this chat option as i refuse to use a phone or give my phone number, or refuse to install an app just to be able to effing write.

The dongle costs 5euro the battery life is very good.
Have you seen if a store near you still sells it?

[Lunestone-ravencrest]

pepelaugh @ someone flagging one of my comments here because i said ‘‘copium’’. glad it’s still up for reads in the post reply as it’s a banger truthful comment tbh

[Dejarous-draenor (Dejarous)]

@Jinini-ravencrest

the hell u on about with forcing only authenticator accounts to be able to write, are u insane? This is censureship and in NO way stops the gold sellers and other low lifes. It simply prevent ME form being able to use this chat option as i refuse to use a phone or give my phone number, or refuse to install an app just to be able to effing write. You are clearly one of them promoting the limitations of freedom of freedom of speech. This is CENSURE and it is wrong. There are other ways, so really, eff the eff out of here if u think like that.

Thats like calling them out for censoring you for not having an internet connection. It’s nonsensical. this measure does way more good than harm and if people like you refuse to get authentictors and are inconvenienced its a small price to pay. The choice is in your hands after all.

[Heramaar-argent-dawn]

@Emje-draenor

My apologies, you are correct of course it won’t do anything for trade chat. Let’s hope that now they have made a start, they may be open to giving booster’s their own chat channel

Not trying to crush your hopes there, but giving the boosters an own channel will not prevent them from sometimes spamming other channels as well.

From my perspective (and since I can see the difference in other MMOs, like the much mentioned FF14) there need to limitations for the global channels, I think.

Adding the Authentificator thing for the group finder is a good thing. I would say, this should also be applied to all global channels as well. If you use no authentificator, you can’t use them.

That’s just my opinion and I know some people see my perspective “extreme” sometimes, however, I always aim for the most efficient ideas to solve a problem, regardless of the appeal.

Edit: Another solution could be to limit global channels to certain levels. Like for example BfA is now the last expansion before SL. This means that they (Blizzard) could, for example, limit trade channel use to having either 25 lvl or max level 50 of the expansion. Since the “done” DLCs are all added to free access when you play gametime, this would mean that the “sellers” would need to level/or pay for “throw away”-accounts a subscription/gametime card and level or pay 60€ for a level boost. That would at least make them consider to not make many “throw away”-accounts since that would cut deeply in their purses especially over time. Less “throw away”-accounts result in less sold services for them, meaning less money earned, meaning less money being available for new/more “throw away”-accounts.

[Lunestone-ravencrest]

The authenticator is a systematic step, but what really needs to be done is a mindset change @ Blizzard. Boosting is the biggest gold sink in a game where buying gold for real money is officially endorsed (wow token).

@Heramaar-argent-dawn

From my perspective (and since I can see the difference in other MMOs, like the much mentioned FF14) there need to limitations for the global channels, I think.

FF14 's content design and devs both discourage “carrying” or “boosting” through the content. Any boost spam in global channels is also being cracked down on. On the opposite end here we have Blizzard’s own co-leader Mike Ybarra selling boosts through his twitter, instead of listening to the large part of the community that is frustrated about these affairs. It’s honestly just pathetic, I have no other words for it.

@Heramaar-argent-dawn

That’s just my opinion and I know some people see my perspective “extreme” sometimes

Your perspective is far from extreme, it’s one of the few logical ones in this entire thread.

[Emje-draenor]

@Heramaar-argent-dawn

Not trying to crush your hopes there, but giving the boosters an own channel will not prevent them from sometimes spamming other channels as well.

I know this is true Heramaar as we have all seen the boosts invade channels they really should not be in, but that is why I advocated for a channel for players to chat/socialise whilst playing but with no trades or boost spams allowed. To ensure this there would need to be moderation and again I don’t think Blizzard want to put resources into such moderation that would be necessary for it to work. If we had such a channel though, players could then opt out of Trade if they wished, effectively removing the boost spam.

@Heramaar-argent-dawn

Since the “done” DLCs are all added to free access when you play gametime, this would mean that the “sellers” would need to level/or pay for “throw away”-accounts a subscription/gametime card and level or pay 60€ for a level boost.

I can see your point with this, but my first reaction is that some of these boosting communities are huge and I don’t think that money would be an issue to them, considering what they actually make. They are now businesses in every sense of the word and I think

@Heramaar-argent-dawn

e the “done” DLCs are all added to free access when you play gametime, this would mean that the “sellers” would need to level/or pay for “throw away”-accounts a subscription/gametime card and level or pay 60€ for a level boost.

…would not make such a dent in their profit and therefore would be seen as a minor inconvenience rather than something that ‘stops them’.

I will copy an earlier post I made in this thread if I may (yes I am a lazy typist)

@Emje-draenor

If people did not see so much of it, would it then mean that only those interested in obtaining a boost would actually go looking for it?

It’s like sweets in a supermarket, they usually have an aisle dedicated to sweets/chocolates etc, but most supermarkets always, always have a selection near the tills, so if you have kids with you when shopping you can avoid the sweets aisle, but you can’t avoid the till!!! And that’s when the trouble starts, we see things we want

To me the fact that boosting is so pervasive in the chats and people see them constantly is what makes a lot of people think ‘oh well I’ll buy a boost’ it is seen now as the norm. Again I use a shopping analogy, have you ever been shopping and buy something you hadn’t purposely gone out to get? It wasn’t on your list to buy, but you see it and think oh I’ll have that!!!

I know we may not agree and that’s okay, not everyone sees things the same way

[Heramaar-argent-dawn]

@Emje-draenor

If people did not see so much of it, would it then mean that only those interested in obtaining a boost would actually go looking for it?

It’s like sweets in a supermarket, they usually have an aisle dedicated to sweets/chocolates etc, but most supermarkets always, always have a selection near the tills, so if you have kids with you when shopping you can avoid the sweets aisle, but you can’t avoid the till!!! And that’s when the trouble starts, we see things we want

Oh no, this is something I will later on fear, when I start my own family.

[Lunestone-ravencrest]

Feels like with this new information on wow’s primary competitor coming out, its worth mentioning in this thread.

What FFXIV did recently to combat boosting, tldr:

Advertisement of boosting services is prohibited GAME WIDE, for both real money AND in-game currency. if you want to ask for help and offer a reward for helping (for in-game money or items) that’s still tolerated as of now. Violations of these terms will result in instantaneous bans.

(it should also be noted that FFXIV, unlike WoW, has no way to legally buy in-game currency through real money)

I would include a source but I can’t post links in my posts here apparently. Just look for “Updates to the Prohibited Activities in FINAL FANTASY XIV and Account Penalty Policy” if you want to read them for yourself.

Blizzard, learn from your competitors. This is a great step in the right direction by SE. While threads like these may look like complaining and annoying, it just means we care and want the game to be better.