Illegal Script Usage "Predator": Punishments

[WayNeacTia]

Is Eluvatar not a mod? They claim the script violates the API rate and does not set a user agent. How would they have been able to figure this out without running the script first?

Eluvatar is not a moderator. He's a techie. Biiiig difference.

Thank you for explaining that. Is it still not suspicious that he was able to figure all of this out mere weeks after becoming a techie though? Why did it take more than a year for all of this to be figured out? From what I have been able to determine through research Eluvatar clearly has defender leanings and yet he was the one to figure out that a script being used by raiders is all of a sudden illegal?

[Evil Wolf]

Thank you for explaining that. Is it still not suspicious that he was able to figure all of this out mere weeks after becoming a techie though? Why did it take more than a year for all of this to be figured out? From what I have been able to determine through research Eluvatar clearly has defender leanings and yet he was the one to figure out that a script being used by raiders is all of a sudden illegal?

I've known Eluvatar for years now. While he has played as a defender in the past, I am certain he would never intentionally use his powers for personal gain. I might also point out that he has had a history on the raider side as well. Eluvatar tends to play the game based more upon what he feels is fun for him, and less upon a sense of moral duty to the "right" side.

I'm quite sure his appointment to his position and TBR/DEN players coming forwards with Predator for a code check is purely coincidental.

[Reploid Productions]

Your obvious attempts to defame Eluvatar and accuse him of bias are not appreciated. As this is effectively a Moderation discussion thread despite its presence in the Gameplay forum, any further such bad faith posts will be removed to the evidence locker, so that [violet] can ensure that we are not abusing her directive regarding bad faith posts in such threads.

If you have actual evidence of Eluvatar or any moderator acting improperly, you may file a report via the Getting Help page. Be sure to include any and all links to relevant evidence. GHRs cannot be edited or deleted by site staff, so it will create a permanent and tamper-proof record for [violet] to review. Please be aware that [violet] has very little patience for unsubstantiated and frivolous reports.

As Ayvari already noted, with a few elaborations:
- Script was created by Halcones.
- Script is inaccessible without Halcones' say-so.
- Script was used for a year and a half or so.
- Script raised concerns when people still used it after Halcones was DoS.
- Script was brought to the Mods by an non-staff informant after the script had been in use for over a year.
- Script was analyzed first by Eluvatar and verified by the other techies.
- Script was deemed illegal by Mods/Admins once it was determined to be breaking the scripting rules.
- Script users were punished after extensive discussion by the moderators on how to go about doing so.


~Evil Forum Empress Rep Prod the Ninja Admin
~She who wields the Banhammer; master of the mighty moderation no-dachi Kiritateru Teikoku

[Lord Ravenclaw]

Eluvatar is not a moderator. He's a techie. Biiiig difference.

Thank you for explaining that. Is it still not suspicious that he was able to figure all of this out mere weeks after becoming a techie though? Why did it take more than a year for all of this to be figured out? From what I have been able to determine through research Eluvatar clearly has defender leanings and yet he was the one to figure out that a script being used by raiders is all of a sudden illegal?

Okay.

Eluvatar is... to put it honestly, the brightest gem this game could hope for. This is a player that goes above and beyond the call of duty to provide security tools, fair voting systems and spends hours upon hours working his heart out to level the playing field for a wide range of regions. He values fairness and integrity in-game more than nearly any other player I've ever met in the last eight years I've been here.

Please do not attempt to slander Eluvatar by suggesting this issue was revealed just to benefit Defenders. I for one will take that rather badly - blame rests on the creator of that tool, Halcones; the people who knew about the illegality and didn't speak up, and the people who used it and solely trusted his word that was legal without doing their own checks and research - not on Eluvatar who simply done his job as a TechModling and provided an unbiased analysis and opinion to the staff.

[WayNeacTia]

Your obvious attempts to defame Eluvatar and accuse him of bias are not appreciated. As this is effectively a Moderation discussion thread despite its presence in the Gameplay forum, any further such bad faith posts will be removed to the evidence locker, so that [violet] can ensure that we are not abusing her directive regarding bad faith posts in such threads.

If you have actual evidence of Eluvatar or any moderator acting improperly, you may file a report via the Getting Help page. Be sure to include any and all links to relevant evidence. GHRs cannot be edited or deleted by site staff, so it will create a permanent and tamper-proof record for [violet] to review. Please be aware that [violet] has very little patience for unsubstantiated and frivolous reports.

As Ayvari already noted, with a few elaborations:
- Script was created by Halcones.
- Script is inaccessible without Halcones' say-so.
- Script was used for a year and a half or so.
- Script raised concerns when people still used it after Halcones was DoS.
- Script was brought to the Mods by an non-staff informant after the script had been in use for over a year.
- Script was analyzed first by Eluvatar and verified by the other techies.
- Script was deemed illegal by Mods/Admins once it was determined to be breaking the scripting rules.
- Script users were punished after extensive discussion by the moderators on how to go about doing so.

(Image)
~Evil Forum Empress Rep Prod the Ninja Admin
~She who wields the Banhammer; master of the mighty moderation no-dachi Kiritateru Teikoku

I am sorry but I don't follow. I wasn't aware asking simple questions of the operators of this site is equivalent to defamation? Is there some other unwritten rules of the site that I need to be aware of as well? For the record I have not accused anyone of anything. I am simply asking questions based on the evidence I have read. I on the other hand do not appreciate being slandered or threatened with sanctions by a user that clearly is vested with immense authority over this site. If that is grounds for one of these so called GHRs then I suppose I will have to file one in this case. I am assuming you will recuse yourself from handling said complaint should I have even the remote inclination to lodge one? In either case I would cordially request you cease and desist slanderous accusations without evidence to back them up. I have very little reason or motive to post in bad faith as I have nothing to gain from it.

Getting back to the matter at hand. Where is it stated in either of these threads that the matter was brought forth by a non-staff informant? Where is it stated that anything was verified by other techies? I am afraid I cannot seem to locate those posts. Why were certain players that clearly had no involvement in the scandal whatsoever sanctioned and their nations deleted? These are the questions I am asking. It is not my intention to defame anyone. I hold a great deal of respect for people that volunteer time out of their lives to ensure websites such as these operate smoothly. By the same token I also hold very little respect for those who jump from friendly to snarky when asked a question especially those whom are vested with the authority to speak for the site.

I trust my questions can be answered in a cordial tone without accusations of defamation being thrown around?

[Tano]

Your obvious attempts to defame Eluvatar and accuse him of bias are not appreciated. As this is effectively a Moderation discussion thread despite its presence in the Gameplay forum, any further such bad faith posts will be removed to the evidence locker, so that [violet] can ensure that we are not abusing her directive regarding bad faith posts in such threads.

If you have actual evidence of Eluvatar or any moderator acting improperly, you may file a report via the Getting Help page. Be sure to include any and all links to relevant evidence. GHRs cannot be edited or deleted by site staff, so it will create a permanent and tamper-proof record for [violet] to review. Please be aware that [violet] has very little patience for unsubstantiated and frivolous reports.

As Ayvari already noted, with a few elaborations:
- Script was created by Halcones.
- Script is inaccessible without Halcones' say-so.
- Script was used for a year and a half or so.
- Script raised concerns when people still used it after Halcones was DoS.
- Script was brought to the Mods by an non-staff informant after the script had been in use for over a year.
- Script was analyzed first by Eluvatar and verified by the other techies.
- Script was deemed illegal by Mods/Admins once it was determined to be breaking the scripting rules.
- Script users were punished after extensive discussion by the moderators on how to go about doing so.

(Image)
~Evil Forum Empress Rep Prod the Ninja Admin
~She who wields the Banhammer; master of the mighty moderation no-dachi Kiritateru Teikoku

I am sorry but I don't follow. I wasn't aware asking simple questions of the operators of this site is equivalent to defamation? Is there some other unwritten rules of the site that I need to be aware of as well? For the record I have not accused anyone of anything. I am simply asking questions based on the evidence I have read. I on the other hand do not appreciate being slandered or threatened with sanctions by a user that clearly is vested with immense authority over this site. If that is grounds for one of these so called GHRs then I suppose I will have to file one in this case. I am assuming you will recuse yourself from handling said complaint should I have even the remote inclination to lodge one? In either case I would cordially request you cease and desist slanderous accusations without evidence to back them up. I have very little reason or motive to post in bad faith as I have nothing to gain from it.

Getting back to the matter at hand. Where is it stated in either of these threads that the matter was brought forth by a non-staff informant? Where is it stated that anything was verified by other techies? I am afraid I cannot seem to locate those posts. Why were certain players that clearly had no involvement in the scandal whatsoever sanctioned and their nations deleted? These are the questions I am asking. It is not my intention to defame anyone. I hold a great deal of respect for people that volunteer time out of their lives to ensure websites such as these operate smoothly. By the same token I also hold very little respect for those who jump from friendly to snarky when asked a question especially those whom are vested with the authority to speak for the site.

I trust my questions can be answered in a cordial tone without accusations of defamation being thrown around?

Get over yourself man, life's too beautiful to spend it sitting on a stick.

As for your questions, I am certain I remember reading through the thread and seeing something about a nonstaff informant. There's 43 pages, you could have easily missed something.

And for the techie one,I dont remember if it was posted somewhere or not, but based Reppy lovingly told you just now. So even if it was not elaborated on, she is now giving out that information.

Also, what do you mean by the certain nation? Mind elaborating which ones those were? Honest question, I didn't think there were any (unless you mean that lovely little affair with Texasa or however it was spelled. That was a whole different beast)

[Atagait Denral]

I am sorry but I don't follow. I wasn't aware asking simple questions of the operators of this site is equivalent to defamation? Is there some other unwritten rules of the site that I need to be aware of as well? For the record I have not accused anyone of anything. I am simply asking questions based on the evidence I have read. I on the other hand do not appreciate being slandered or threatened with sanctions by a user that clearly is vested with immense authority over this site. If that is grounds for one of these so called GHRs then I suppose I will have to file one in this case. I am assuming you will recuse yourself from handling said complaint should I have even the remote inclination to lodge one? In either case I would cordially request you cease and desist slanderous accusations without evidence to back them up. I have very little reason or motive to post in bad faith as I have nothing to gain from it.

Getting back to the matter at hand. Where is it stated in either of these threads that the matter was brought forth by a non-staff informant? Where is it stated that anything was verified by other techies? I am afraid I cannot seem to locate those posts. Why were certain players that clearly had no involvement in the scandal whatsoever sanctioned and their nations deleted? These are the questions I am asking. It is not my intention to defame anyone. I hold a great deal of respect for people that volunteer time out of their lives to ensure websites such as these operate smoothly. By the same token I also hold very little respect for those who jump from friendly to snarky when asked a question especially those whom are vested with the authority to speak for the site.

I trust my questions can be answered in a cordial tone without accusations of defamation being thrown around?

Context is important to the english language. The context made it seem as though you were implying that Eluvatar's position as a defender may have caused him to lie about predator's nature.

[Ayvari]

I am sorry but I don't follow. I wasn't aware asking simple questions of the operators of this site is equivalent to defamation? Is there some other unwritten rules of the site that I need to be aware of as well? For the record I have not accused anyone of anything. I am simply asking questions based on the evidence I have read. I on the other hand do not appreciate being slandered or threatened with sanctions by a user that clearly is vested with immense authority over this site. If that is grounds for one of these so called GHRs then I suppose I will have to file one in this case. I am assuming you will recuse yourself from handling said complaint should I have even the remote inclination to lodge one? In either case I would cordially request you cease and desist slanderous accusations without evidence to back them up. I have very little reason or motive to post in bad faith as I have nothing to gain from it.

Getting back to the matter at hand. Where is it stated in either of these threads that the matter was brought forth by a non-staff informant? Where is it stated that anything was verified by other techies? I am afraid I cannot seem to locate those posts. Why were certain players that clearly had no involvement in the scandal whatsoever sanctioned and their nations deleted? These are the questions I am asking. It is not my intention to defame anyone. I hold a great deal of respect for people that volunteer time out of their lives to ensure websites such as these operate smoothly. By the same token I also hold very little respect for those who jump from friendly to snarky when asked a question especially those whom are vested with the authority to speak for the site.

To be fair, it sounded a lot like you were starting to persecute Moderation/Admin/Eluvatar. Furthermore, the emphasis on "defender" was unnecessary.

The only people who fell afoul of that were 94 block, whose involvement extended only to telling Halcones to update the script, and Texasa, who...how do I say this nicely...clearly had no idea what he was talking about.

As Ayvari already noted, with a few elaborations:

(Image)
~Evil Forum Empress Rep Prod the Ninja Admin
~She who wields the Banhammer; master of the mighty moderation no-dachi Kiritateru Teikoku

Thanks, Reppy. I was going for a brief thing, but probably should have clarified more on those parts.

[Le Libertia]

Quick Question: It seems that the raider tag was removed. If this is true, why was it done?

[Klaus Devestatorie]

Quick Question: It seems that the raider tag was removed. If this is true, why was it done?

It's the "Invader" tag, not raider tag.

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

Just a reminder: 6mo bans are up in, like, an hour and a half, right?

[Scieca II]

Just a reminder: 6mo bans are up in, like, an hour and a half, right?

More like 2 hours, going by the time of the OP. Last time the mods didn't lift them at the exact time, so there's no reason to assume they will this time.

[Stalker Queen]

Just a reminder: 6mo bans are up in, like, an hour and a half, right?

More like 2 hours, going by the time of the OP. Last time the mods didn't lift them at the exact time, so there's no reason to assume they will this time.

That is because it is done manually (by reaching into the mod tools to remove the ban) rather than automatically (like forumbans) because it's gameside. RMB and TG bans are manually lifted, too. The lack of timeliness isn't helped by the fact there's a Reddit and Imgur boom and a lot of obscenely-named nations flooding in, either. There needs to be a game moderator (as opposed to forum moderator) to be online at the exact time to lift the ban on, like, three people, which was different to more than half a dozen people for the three-monthers.

[Sedgistan]

I've removed the two 6-month WA bans that there were. I actually did so 15 minutes early, going off server time.

[Stalker Queen]

I've removed the two 6-month WA bans that there were. I actually did so 15 minutes early, going off server time.

Varax, Festavo and Koth?

[Sedgistan]

Just Varax and Festavo, actually. It looks like another mod failed to notice that Koth's had been extended to 6 months, and removed it back in July - I've no idea why, since I've been handling these and had already removed the 3 month bans then. Anyhow, Koth abided by the WA ban anyway, so it's fairly irrelevant.

[Scieca II]

Just making sure that 2 bans that weren't mentioned are accounted for - namely Eliot Isaraider's and Block II's. Have their bans been lifted?

viewtopic.php?p=28544934#p28544934

viewtopic.php?p=28725635#p28725635

[Stalker Queen]

Just making sure that 2 bans that weren't mentioned are accounted for - namely Eliot Isaraider's and Block II's. Have their bans been lifted?

viewtopic.php?p=28544934#p28544934

viewtopic.php?p=28725635#p28725635

Oh. Nice catch on Eliot. As for Block II, his ban was extended to one year: viewtopic.php?p=28921491#p28921491

[Sedgistan]

The Type 49 Tardis' WA ban is no longer in effect either.

[Scieca II]

The Type 49 Tardis' WA ban is no longer in effect either.

Thanks for clarifying that.

[Reventus Koth]

Just Varax and Festavo, actually. It looks like another mod failed to notice that Koth's had been extended to 6 months, and removed it back in July - I've no idea why, since I've been handling these and had already removed the 3 month bans then. Anyhow, Koth abided by the WA ban anyway, so it's fairly irrelevant.

Heh. It was probably a test, and I passed

[Eliot Isaraider II]

The Type 49 Tardis' WA ban is no longer in effect either.

Awesome! So excited to get active in the R/D thing again. Yipee!

[Greater Cesnica]

AAND I just got swept for Predator usage. 6 months WA ban. Not my proudest moment.

[Flanderlion]

AAND I just got swept for Predator usage. 6 months WA ban. Not my proudest moment.

Probably worth an appeal, unless you want to keep the notoriety/attention of being a Texasa 2.0. No offence, but I doubt Halcones would actually give you access (and you say later on that you just saw the interface).

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

AAND I just got swept for Predator usage. 6 months WA ban. Not my proudest moment.

Probably worth an appeal, unless you want to keep the notoriety/attention of being a Texasa 2.0. No offence, but I doubt Halcones would actually give you access (and you say later on that you just saw the interface).

Agreed that it’s far more likely this dude has seen a screenshot of the UI once than ever touched the tool. I think the “play stupid games, confess to stupid shit you didn’t do, win stupid prizes” lesson has been taught xD

Though, considering he “owned up to it” to look cool in the first place, maybe he’ll keep it.