important news regarding my RuneScape character

As of November 6, 2007, I have been unbanned! I'm no longer a player moderator, though.

There are quite a lot of things involving my RuneScape character going on right now, and I thought I'd let my friends (and anyone else who may be concerned) know about my current situation.

Some of my friends are probably wondering why I haven't logged in for a several days, and they're likely going to get worried about me. The truth is, I was banned. The last time I successfully played the game was on Monday night. I had just bought a bunch of ranarr and snape grass to train my herblore. However, it was getting late, so I logged off for the night. The next day, I tried logging in, and I get the message that every player dreads: "Your account has been disabled. Check your message-centre for details."

I immediately did so. The result? Permanently banned for breaking rule 3: password scamming and transferring the items to my main character. Previously, I had an absolutely clean record, and all of a sudden, I'm permanently banned with ten black marks.

Now this is what's really making me scratch my head. Why does Jagex think that a long-time RuneScape veteran (one of the first 2,000 to sign up) and player moderator would risk their account over a few virtual items? (I later asked Jagex, and a staff member told me that my time in RuneScape has no bearing on any offences.) I understand that Jagex wants to be fair to every player, and I accept that. However, Jagex also needs to look at the big picture and think outside the box.

For now, suppose that RuneScape has no rule against stealing accounts. That still does not make it right. Does it seem ethically justifiable to rob someone of all their hard work? I've been 'hacked' (or cracked, to be technically accurate) several times during my time on RuneScape, and I know how it feels, especially after losing over 80 rares in April 2003.

Even with ethics aside, that still does not make it acceptable for me to steal accounts. If you look at my university's Internet policy, you will see that using "the campus network to gain unauthorized access to any computer systems or accounts" is strictly prohibited. The networks are monitored for illegal activity, or so I'm told. If I'm caught cracking into other systems, I could face expulsion. Do I really want to be kicked out of one of the best universities (University of California, Berkeley) of the world for stealing a few virtual items?

With that aside, gaining unauthorized access to computer systems could result in criminal charges, and Jagex can even take legal action against me. Any of these three consequences are far, far more severe than any RuneScape ban.

After some investigation on my own, I think I know why Jagex detected me as a rule breaker. Last Thursday, someone came over and wanted to show me a level 91 account, which he claimed was his. I let him use my computer, and he then went onto his laptop and asked me to duel him. Normally, I don't like dueling, but since he was several levels lower than I was, I accepted. After several close duels, I won various items, and we complimented each other with "good fight."

It turns out that the character that dueled me was actually stolen. He didn't admit to it until I got banned, probably because he knew that I was a player moderator. I don't know whether he stole a friend's character or just phished it. (I asked him why he stole the account, and he told me that the account was inactive, so it didn't matter. I doubt that his words are 100% truthful, any in any case, he shouldn't be stealing accounts in the first place.) Since both characters had logged in using the same computer, Jagex likely detected me as a rule breaker.

I appealed after two days of trying to compress a 'detailed' explanation into 400 characters, and on the next day, I get the generic, run-of-the-mill automated message that my appeal has been denied.

A long time ago, I've read about innocent players like Droolman getting banned. I've heard of people getting banned for real-world trading just because their friend gave or lent them a lot of money, or siblings getting banned for multi-logging because they used the same IP, and I brushed these reports off as urban legends. When I was a player moderator, I always told fellow players: as long as you follow the rules, you have nothing to worry about. It seems that this isn't the case at all. As a matter of fact, I started to have a feeling several months ago that my character would ultimately suffer the same fate.

I have not written my last chance appeal yet, and I don't know if I will even do so. I don't know if I will ever get my character back, but I doubt that I ever well. I am indeed a bit upset that I lost such a great character, but as great as he ever was, RuneScape is only a game.

Here are the stats of my character before the ban:

• [*:3dwdgtdn]78 attack
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]78 strength
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]77 defense
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]79 hits
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]80 magic
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]71 ranged
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]70 prayer
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]85 mining
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]67 smithing
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]76 crafting
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]59 runecrafting
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]92 woodcutting
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]99 firemaking
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]99 fletching
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]81 fishing
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]99 cooking
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]99 thieving
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]72 agility
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]59 herblore
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]58 construction
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]68 slayer
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]64 farming
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]245 quest points

Of course, none of us are saints or sages, and I must admit, I've broken various rules in my early years, such as using abusive language and gaining items through dishonest means. However, after I learned how much this ruins the fun for everyone, I stopped this activity immediately. After all, I'm much more mature than I was six years ago. If my main doesn't get unbanned, I'll just consider this ban to be a punishment for what I had done in the past. I guess that the karma from my past crimes has finally come to kick my a**.

For those of you who are wondering, I do have a new character: Ixfd64_Rs2. I won't play on that account that much, but I will still use it to communicate with friends who still play. But one thing will be certain: my new account will have a perfect record.

Friends

Over time, I've met many wonderful friends in RuneScape. If any of you run into them, please let them know that I've been banned, and that my new character is Ixfd64_Rs2.

• [*:3dwdgtdn]Tygas - if I remember correctly, you were my first RuneScape friend. We had so much fun racing to level 45 smithing. :D
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Bryan19 - another old school friend.
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Dirty_Douzen - we used to kill those bot users on RuneScape Classic. Those times were fun while they lasted!
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Vera02 - we met in late 2002, and it was fun racing you to 99 cooking!
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]D_V_Devnull and various other accounts - you were (and still are) an awesome fellow Tip.it user. HYT!
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Sarah_Devil0 (Sarah) - you were one of the coolest people I've ever met. Since you've quit RuneScape, good luck in whatever you do in the future!
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Hot_Chick826 (Kylie) - another cool player that I was lucky enough to know!
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Nomar5 - you were always an inspiration to me. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have gone for 85 mining.
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Maarten184 - you were always fun to talk to, and you were always trying to convince me to get members!
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Battleman290 (Jason) - I never knew that I'd meet such a cool person in real-life. It's a small world after all!
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Battleman219 (Michael) - Jason's little brother, and just as cool.
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Yuna210 (Joann) - we became friends after I accidentally IM'ed you through Tip.it. I guess that serendipity has its charms!
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Secrethotluv (Jennifer) - you were one of the mature people I've ever seen in game, and it was nice knowing you.
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Sandman2002 - for giving me a free green mask when I got hacked in 2003.
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Deathslash12 (Victoria) - you gave me that white berry I need for A Hand in the Sand, and we became friends ever since. It's too bad that you got banned. :(
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Desdemona43 (Virginia) - another very mature player that I was blessed enough to know.
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Cane_Wizardx - for always lending me that dragon dagger (p++) a long time ago!
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Vac88_O___0 (Rob) - you were the only skiller on my list, and you have my respect as a great merchant. It's too bad that your other character was also falsely banned for 'hacking.' :(
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Jamie2002 - it was an honor knowing the guy who once held the #1 firemaking rank for well over a year. :D
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]X_Sappy_X (Michael) and various other accounts - we were always helping each other out after we got scammed - that's what friends are for!

There's way too many of you to desribe individually! Additional shout-outs go to Cutiepie05, Macphils22, Yellowstreak, Cowboyjo, Sweetbabe316 (Krista), Arielsky (Tracey), Elektra340 (Rebecca), Yomitzu, Koolgirl_11 (Emily), Y2kadrian (Adrian), Bosnianqtee (Nina), Janebabyyx (Jackie), 0_Pk_A_X_0, Fallyn_Heart (Nicole), Aznxangel107 (Christine), Flea110, D_H_R_U_V, Hope930, K_Sizzle_15, Kilala_1655 (Serenity), Sababa55 (Sara), Maseratiboy2, Victorwu (Victor), Excal_Shells, Sassykatz13 (Katy), Angelbabeyy (Danielle) and many others. You know who you are!

There's a few other people that I didn't quite know as friends but are still worth a mention:

• [*:3dwdgtdn]Lightning - for being such an inspiration, and for co-creating this awesome site
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Yogosun - also for being an inspiration. Your YouTube videos were always fun to watch!
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]various people on tip.it for writing useful guides
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]various editors on the

Jagex mods

Despite Jagex's failing customer support, there are still some Jagex mods that deserve to be commended:

• [*:3dwdgtdn]Andrew - if it weren't for you, RuneScape wouldn't exist in the first place.
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Paul - you were always patient when listening to my suggestions, and I'm lucky that I got to know you that well.
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Moderator and various accounts (Rob Law) - you're an old school J-mod, and I don't know if anyone else remembers you, but you were very active in our community.
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Mod_Mark - you were just about the only one that cared about RuneScape Classic. Other mods should follow your example.
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Mod_Hulme - you were just about the coolest mod I've ever met, and you were always there to answer my queries in a timely manner.
   
  [*:3dwdgtdn]Mod_Mat_K - same as Mod_Hulme. Cheers to y'all both.

To people who borrowed stuff from me

Before I was banned, I lent some items to some friends. If you tried to return those items to my new character, I would be breaking rule 8 (interaction between multiple accounts) if I accepted them. So unless my main gets unbanned, those items are yours to keep. ;)

To people who do break rules

To those who do break rules: shame on you. Did you know that real-world trading harms the economy, and hurts you in the long run? And to those who sell characters: you might be getting $300 for a character you spent 1,000 hours on, but get a real job and you'll make $10,000 in the same amount of time. Seriously.

The future

On some more positive notes, every cloud has a silver lining, and I think that there are more than one silver lining in this case.

I have to admit, RuneScape is rather addicting, and I used to think that I would be very depressed if my account ever got banned or stolen. Well, I am still a bit unhappy that I lost such a good character, but I realize that it's only a game. This means that I'm nowhere as addicted to RuneScape as I thought I was, so please don't call the suicide hotline on me or anything. :lol: As Joe Siegler (an executive of 3D Realms, another game company) once told me, "life has harder kicks to give people." As my father often said to me, even if the worst things become true, "the sky is not falling, and life goes on." After all, I shouldn't be too upset about losing a virtual character worth nothing in the real world.

You may feel bad for me because it would seem like that I lost 6.5 years of work. I can assure you that that is not the case. I only played actively for about two years, and during the rest of the time, I only played on and off. Plus, skills are much easier to raise now, and I can probably get back my skills in less than a year if I really tried.

Also, with the do-x feature in RS2, one can easily multi-task. As such, I often edited Wikipedia while my character did things, contributing to the sum of human knowledge. I invite you to do the same, too; you just might like it!

Overall, I still had a great time in RuneScape.

Finally, does this mean that I will leave the community? No. True, if it weren't for the fact that RuneScape has a free version, I'd have moved on to another MMO. However, I will stay because of the mostly friendly Tip.it community. I'll still play ARENAscape, and thankfully, Silverion doesn't ban people for no reason. :)

Wow man.

I feel your pain, one would think that JagEx would trust the word of a Player Mod who says that they are not guilty of braking any rules. I hope you get your account unbanned.

Venedlor

I see you put a lot of work into this.

wow, thats horrible

at first i was thinking "here we go again another dude who thinks he is important quitting", but then I read and I feel so sorry for you. Jagex is truly unfair with a lot of things. That's why I never let anyone use my computer/router for runescape besides me.

wow, man i feel for you.

This must stink - hope you get unbanned, your another story for us all to take into consideration :o

I see you put a lot of work into this.

I see you did too.

On-topic: That was one of the best posts I've read in a while, and it's a shame you got banned for something you didn't do at all. I smiled Irl at this too

I'll still play ARENAscape, and thankfully, Silverion doesn't ban people for no reason.

First and foremost, you seem like a lovely person and its sad too see another respectable member of the community leave us

The Jagex Moderators are on a whole lovely people as you mentioned, it's sad that customer support is full of cabbages!

So many people get falsely banned then sent an auto responce.

Jagex - Reported for breaking rule 7

RIP

-Pickle

I remember you from as long as I played RS and used tip.it forums (You may or may not remember me.. I'm dark killer0 and I played since February 2001)... You were also one of the first to use tip.it in 2001/2002 as well. :)

It's very strange to know you are banned, and I have no doubts it wasn't triggered by you really scamming someone, you REALLY don't fit the profile of a scammer.. At all. You were even a player moderator. Jagex should seriously look more into your case.

If you decide to drift away from RS though (and keep your friends, which I did), good luck with your university, life etc. :) There's a lot more to life than a java game...

It's a shame.

If my main doesn't get unbanned, I'll just consider this ban to be a punishment for what I had done in the past

nice one

Owh man this s*cks hope you get unbanned!

Damn one of the best posts ever

I've never met you or even heard of you before, but losing an account like that for an offence that wasn't even commited is wrong. Good luck with your life, RS and in real life.

that sucks man :( i remember you from back in the day. i say fill out that final appeal, cant hurt. gl w/ the new character.

-poope

Wow, that's quite horrible! :cry: Good thing you didn't take it too hard and realised it's just a game :

I hope that they will realise that this must be a mistake and unban you.

Wow, that's quite horrible! :cry: Good thing you didn't take it too hard and realised it's just a game :

Yeah, I know. A long time ago, I might have been depressed had this happened to me. However, now that I have many hobbies, I know that RuneScape is only one of them, and more importantly, only a game.

I'd like to thank everyone for the support, though. :D

Jagex seems to have a neck for backstabbing former loyal player mods. It's a shame this has to happen to you though. :(

One upside, it makes quiting RS much easier...

=[

i hope you egt your account back i see you put your heart and soul into everything

but on the good side

use your last appeal and use it wisely do not rush it

seeign as though your a mod they shoudl recognise that you wouldnt do such a thing otherwise they wouldnt employ you as a mod anyway

apprently if youve been very good in game which you have perm bans are around a year or so long maybe 9 months (this is what ive heard)

all in all gl on getting your account back =]

always hate to see someone banned unfairly, it happens. to much.

if you ever are going to write your last chance be sure to include suicide as a word for the wordt counter. heard it helps.

if you ever are going to write your last chance be sure to include suicide as a word for the wordt counter. heard it helps.

I've seen people on cheat sites suggest that, and I don't think it works anymore because Jagex now knows that most suicide threats are simply attempts to trick Jagex into unbanning accounts. :lol: Also, it's not an avenue I'd like to take because suicide is a serious issue, and I am likely to set myself up a legal investigation if I threatened suicide.

So I don't think that it's a good idea. :shame:

Unlucky with your account getting banned. Could be a blessing in disguise though? :)

Good luck with your last change appeal anyway.

Interesting.

 

 

 

This is spam.

 

 

 

I don't care if you get banned.

god could u be any more selfless...

least have some sympathy i know well ban you for the wrong reasons and see if you like it

Nobody says you have to care.

However, if you don't have anything constructive to say, then please don't say it.

^that was not appropriate.

Good luck with the ban appealment! I feel your pain.

edit: oops, too late

If you read my post, you will see that I'm not leaving the Tip.it community at all.

game set and match, nice one