The PvP bug, possible bannings and the effects on clans

Background:

There was a bug allowing members using Beasts of Burdens to carry quite large amounts of value in money or items in F2P to gather drop potential while PvPing (also known as 26king), which unintentionally carried over into P2P.

While the bug has existed for a while, it only got "publically" known a few days ago, and was fixed yesterday. The bug was posted on several clan forums as soon as it got known, and many members and officials chose to abuse this bug. At least one clan even called off a PK trip to do this instead. Those who chose to abuse the bug, made quite large sums of gp in items, and argued that it was a glitch, not a bug - thus they wouldn't get banned.

Well, today Andrew posted that those who did abuse the bug in fact will get banned, as soon as the easter is over and the Jagex staff is fully back at work.

Reference - RSOF QFC: 15-16-313-58678868

Edit - the other topic about this with QFC: 74-75-841-58678936

My questions are:

What effect will this have on the larger clans?

Can it change the top 5?

Why do they risk getting banned?

Important! While we strive to keep the Clan Discussions a little more relaxed, I strongly advise you not to admit to or encourage breaking RS rules. By doing so, you could be risking your forum account.

What effect will this have on the larger clans?

Members will dwindle whilst the owners create new accounts to rejoin.

Can it change the top 5?

I don't think so, It's my experience that alot of the bigger clans tend to have many members who take advantage of these things. So i look at it as all clans will be losing something it might even out.

Why do they risk getting banned?

It all comes down to money, the more money a player has the more respected they are in a clan. It's just the way it works, it's hardly down to kindess etc, it's all about whats in your bank. At least that's what i've found in my experience.

I myself was unaware of this thing until recently, but bug or glitch regardless. Players should have known better when it's stated in the rules that you cannot take advantage of issues such as these. Why did it take so long for them to fix it though?

Why did it take so long for them to fix it though?

They just got aware of it the other day. It was fixed within 24 hours of it being reported, afaik.

At least one clan even called off a PK trip to do this instead.

Haha, VR ownage :mrgreen:

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What effect will this have on the larger clans?

I have no idea if they will ban everybody. Andrew knows well enough clans have more influence as the members they have, if the impact is really that big and they would ban everybody who abused it, then clan world is close to death if I hear how many people did it.

Can it change the top 5?

I don't think they'll ban so much people, so no.

Why do they risk getting banned?

Doubt it, maybe a few or 1 clan as example, but I doubt they'll wipe of half of the clan world.

I don't think we will see that big of a fallout. To be honest, at best half the members in the top clans used it, and even then, Jagex has far more bark than bite. I know that for sure they will ban some people, but I highly doubt enough to make a major difference to any of the top clans.

What effect will this have on the larger clans?

Members will be banned for sure, however the vastness of the top clans will allow these clans to survive. Their opts might fall, but not enough to destroy the clans.

Can it change the top 5?

I don't believe so, however, if a clan actually called off an event just to do this, I believe they might lose quite a few members. I don't know who this clan is, but I have my suspicions. Besides, most clans would be hit by the same amount.

Why do they risk getting banned?

As said in the original post, some of them thought they wouldn't get banned, saying it was a glitch. However, the others might have been caought "in the moment" or "in the zone" not thinking properly, saying "screw this" and doing it anyways. Remember that interview with the guy that started the Fally Massacre? Didn't he say something about how he had something that could be called a "blood lust"?

What effect will this have on the larger clans?

They'll see a temporary hit in their memberlist...but it won't stay for long. The larger clans usually have a steady stream of applicants.

Can it change the top 5?

In the short run? It's unlikely, but possible. In the long run? No, not really. Just look at VR. They had a huge hit of members perm banned for some offense or another a year or more ago...and yet now they're one of the top clans.

Why do they risk getting banned?

Simple human greed. :3

This really sucks, and tbh I'm sort of PO'd about it cause some highly respected and high ranking people in my clan (WG) did this just cause they were curious, nothing more, and now they might be banned from Runescape forever. I really, really hope Jagex comes up with an alternate punishment to this...really.

The effect on clans depend on how many and who gets banned. For example, one clan that cancelled their PK Trip to do this will certainly face the full consequences. Other than that, leaders can get banned. Imagine clans only being left with PK Leaders and other staff because their leaders were banned. It would certainly cause some forms of chaos, don't you think?

As it looks now, especially 2 of the top 5 clans are in risk of being hit hard if Jagex actually will perm ban those who repeatedly abused the glitch/bug/whatever. If you look at the number of members of a certain clan replying to the RSOF topics, they are pointing themselves out pretty well, competing for the #1 spot of looking guilty with the skipping-pk-trip-to-pvp-with-BoB's clan. Not to speculate or anything...

Our leader, all our high council, all our council, all our warlords, and all but 1 pk leader did it.

Also about 30 members did it.

Pretty much if they ban everybody who did it our clan is in big trouble lol.

I know that other clans are in very similar situations to us. I think not many people outside of the clan world abused the bug, which is interesting.

We might end up with a new #1 clan after the current top clans end up with 60 members left :lol: :shock:

It all depends on how many people were banned and it will have an effect especially when leaders do it. People do it because they're greedy.

Our leader, all our high council, all our council, all our warlords, and all but 1 pk leader did it.

 

 

 

Also about 30 members did it.

 

 

 

Pretty much if they ban everybody who did it our clan is in big trouble lol.

 

 

 

I know that other clans are in very similar situations to us. I think not many people outside of the clan world abused the bug, which is interesting.

 

 

 

We might end up with a new #1 clan after the current top clans end up with 60 members left :lol: :shock:

I love how you take it so light-heartedly. You got guts man. The future of several major clans can rest on these bans. If it was my clan I'd be crapping bricks right about now. I'm even nervous for a few of my friends who are always members who f2p pk who might have abused the glitch. I'll ask em later.

What still confuses me is what exactly the bug did. It allowed for easy dp? Or am I missing something?

Our leader, all our high council, all our council, all our warlords, and all but 1 pk leader did it.

 

 

 

Also about 30 members did it.

 

 

 

Pretty much if they ban everybody who did it our clan is in big trouble lol.

 

 

 

I know that other clans are in very similar situations to us. I think not many people outside of the clan world abused the bug, which is interesting.

 

 

 

We might end up with a new #1 clan after the current top clans end up with 60 members left :lol: :shock:

 

 

 

I love how you take it so light-heartedly. You got guts man. The future of several major clans can rest on these bans. If it was my clan I'd be crapping bricks right about now. I'm even nervous for a few of my friends who are always members who f2p pk who might have abused the glitch. I'll ask em later.

 

 

 

What still confuses me is what exactly the bug did. It allowed for easy dp? Or am I missing something?

I am worried about the impact it will have on our clan, but we've been through worse and emerged as the #1 clan from it, so I'm sure we can manage to again.

And yes, the glitch gave you really high drop potential. You got about 10m of drop potential for 20-30 mins work, making the profit around 40 million per hour. The glitch built up the potential, which you released using the standard 25k-swapping.

What people did was wrong and they should get some kind of punishment. But mass perm banning will result in everyone suffering. Even the people who didn't abuse the glitch will suffer because there will be less Jmods around to run the game.

Most clan members that abused it are loyal customers and have been playing and paying membership for years. So massing banning will result in mass Jmod layoffs.

What people did was wrong and they should get some kind of punishment. But mass perm banning will result in everyone suffering. Even the people who didn't abuse the glitch will suffer because there will be less Jmods around to run the game.

 

 

 

Most clan members that abused it are loyal customers and have been playing and paying membership for years. So massing banning will result in mass Jmod layoffs.

1 clan member, who's been playing for years, is still easily replaced by 2 new members. Just look at how the game has grown recently, even after the wilderness and free-trade removals.

they might do temp bans like they did with the penguin glitch, but andrew sounds like he means business.

They are not going to permanently ban people who pay £5 every month to play the game, especially during recession.

Some people are under the influence that 50,000 people are going to be banned, lets look at this.

Thats 250k each month lost, and 3 million a year lost in profits.

Really think they will do that?

They are not going to permanently ban people who pay £5 every month to play the game, especially during recession.

 

 

 

Some people are under the influence that 50,000 people are going to be banned, lets look at this.

 

 

 

Thats 250k each month lost, and 3 million a year lost in profits.

 

 

 

Really think they will do that?

50k people didn't abuse the bug, it was more in the region of a thousand at max.

Most of them were in the clan world though, so while it was probably a minor bug in terms of % of players who abused it, if they do ban then the clan world will be hit very hard.

It reminds me of a day when 12 of VR's leadership were all banned at once, and how hard it hit their clan. I don't really want to imagine how bad it will be if that happens across almost every clan.

I can see The and TRWF rising from this if they didn't abuse the bug much. As for SE, I only know of 2 or 3 members who did it.

maybe clans will be ok after all

maybe clans will be ok after all

 

 

 

Really sad excuse for a punishment imo.

I think the best thing to do here is rollbacks + temp bans.

Can't do rollbacks on individual accounts.

Rollbacks would be impossible to do now. There's just been too much time since the bug started to be exploited (approx 2 weeks ago) and when Andrew took action.

I think Mod Mat K left his solution pretty open-ended. I don't think expulsion from the Jagex Cup will be the only punishment enforced with this. We've seen more severe punishments with the Penguin Points glitch, which was arguably less influential on all of runescape than this scenario.

At least, that's what I hope. They realize that clans were the main abusers and unfortunately, it just so happened to coincide with when they tried to build up their own Clan-centre community. Let's hope they don't chicken out.

Can't do rollbacks on individual accounts.

They do have logs of individual accounts, rollbacks could be done manually from what I've heard.

Correction: They have stated before that they don't do rollbacks on individual accounts.