Exploits and you: A community guide to what goes, and what doesn’t [UPDATED 10/12/16]

[Celestrata Bloodsong]

May Nui smile upon you, Adventurers!

Today we’d like to discuss exploits with you all. We know this is a hot topic in the community, and it has led to continual questions on what is and what is not allowed in the world of ArcheAge.

First of all, we want to stress to you all that ArcheAge is very much a game of experimentation and strategy. We love seeing how all of you utilize our in-game tools as you adventure throughout the lands. We very much want to preserve that type of exploration, as we believe its core to ArcheAge’s philosophy.

What we do want to combat, however, are situations where a player can gain an unbeatable advantage against another player. This leads us to how the team defines what an exploit is:

Exploit (verb, /ikˈsploit/) – A behavior or situation that is unintended by the game’s design and leads to a clearly unbeatable advantage.

The important word here is unbeatable. While some unintended situations may give you a benefit that is strong, many of them still can be beaten by a team of coordinated adventurers, or can be countered by a different strategy. (But be aware that said unintended behavior can be patched out by Trion and XL in the future!)

Below are some common situations that you, as a community, have had questions on. Please consider this guide to be our final answer on these situations, and make sure to share it with your fellow community and guild members. As new questions appear, we will update this guide on a case-by-case basis.

• The AoE Damage Maneuver on Hasla Rift – This strategy is allowed.
• Damage Immunity on the Hounds of Kyrios – This strategy is allowed.
• Attack LoS/Range Problems on Morpheus & Hanure – This strategy is allowed, but this may change at a code level in the future.
• Issues with multi-boss fights on Serpentis & Hounds – These strategies are allowed.
• Animation cancelling – These strategies are allowed. In PvP, you can still be burned down by multiple enemies/trapped/make a mistake. Additionally, the implementation of the skill queue will likely prevent animation cancelling from occurring in the future.
• Longboards & Tradepacks – This strategy is allowed.
• Anthalon & Siege Towers -- This strategy is allowed.
• Harpooning to get characters into a position where they become untargetable by players and enemy monsters in order to kill a boss -- This is not allowed, and may lead to action taken against your account.
• Hardware or software macros -- No multi-key macros are allowed in ArcheAge of any kind. If you do have a macro, it must be on a one keystroke to one action basis.
• Planting Avocados/other trees to block a hauler while monsters kill it -- This strategy is no longer allowed. Details are available here.
• Install and use the FoV Mod, KR Font Mod, or Teleport Book Sorting mod -- They are unsupported mods, you use them at your own risk, and we aren't responsible for anything that may come about from installing them. That said, we will not ban your account for using them as they do not affect gameplay.
• Multiboxing/Multiscreening -- You are allowed to do this as long as you do not use any automated systems or macros to allow it. You may use VMWare if you wish to run multiple clients on the same machine. You must control your character yourself. if you use an automated system, bot, or macro, you run the risk of being banned.
• Blocking a route with a trade cart -- This strategy is no longer allowed. Details are available here.
• Blocking a NPC with a trade cart by sitting on them -- This is not allowed, and can result in your trade cart being demolished by a member of the staff.
• Farming one of your alts or another player for honor or to push zones to peace -- This is not allowed, and can result in your account receiving a punishment from Customer Service. If you see someone doing this, please report it!
• Farming a single character to manipulate the jury queue -- This is not allowed, and can result in your account receiving a punishment from Customer Service. If you see someone doing this, please report it!
• Moving under the terrain for any reason -- Moving under the terrain for any reason, especially combat, is against the rules of the game.

If you have further questions on any of this, or would like to suggest something be added to the list, please post below. Until then, travel safe and fight well!

Sincerely,
The ArcheAge Team

[mikroman]

...[*]Animation cancelling – These strategies are allowed. In PvP, you can still be burned down by multiple enemies/trapped/make a mistake. Additionally, the implementation of the skill queue will likely prevent animation cancelling from occurring in the future.[/LIST]

IF you have a skill to do 5000 damage in 5 sec and you can cancel animation and do 5000 damage in 1 sec it's ok. I understand it. It's intended. Game and skill balance is not exist. Who care?

[Metsuro]

May Nui smile upon you, Adventurers!

Today we’d like to discuss exploits with you all. We know this is a hot topic in the community, and it has led to continual questions on what is and what is not allowed in the world of ArcheAge.

First of all, we want to stress to you all that ArcheAge is very much a game of experimentation and strategy. We love seeing how all of you utilize our in-game tools as you adventure throughout the lands. We very much want to preserve that type of exploration, as we believe its core to ArcheAge’s philosophy.

What we do want to combat, however, are situations where a player can gain an unbeatable advantage against another player. This leads us to how the team defines what an exploit is:

Exploit (verb, /ikˈsploit/) – A behavior or situation that is unintended by the game’s design and leads to a clearly unbeatable advantage.

The important word here is unbeatable. While some unintended situations may give you a benefit that is strong, many of them still can be beaten by a team of coordinated adventurers, or can be countered by a different strategy. (But be aware that said unintended behavior can be patched out by Trion and XL in the future!)

Below are some common situations that you, as a community, have had questions on. Please consider this guide to be our final answer on these situations, and make sure to share it with your fellow community and guild members. As new questions appear, we will update this guide on a case-by-case basis.

• The AoE Damage Maneuver on Hasla Rift – This strategy is allowed.
• Damage Immunity on the Hounds of Kyrios – This strategy is allowed.
• Attack LoS/Range Problems on Morpheus & Hanure – This strategy is allowed, but this may change at a code level in the future.
• Issues with multi-boss fights on Serpentis & Hounds – These strategies are allowed.
• Animation cancelling – These strategies are allowed. In PvP, you can still be burned down by multiple enemies/trapped/make a mistake. Additionally, the implementation of the skill queue will likely prevent animation cancelling from occurring in the future.

If you have further questions on any of this, or would like to suggest something be added to the list, please post below. Until then, travel safe and fight well!

Sincerely,
The ArcheAge Team

So based on this definition, the castle moving on kyrios was an exploit since it could not be beaten. When will punishment be delivered on said exploiting?

[Celestrata Bloodsong]

So based on this definition, the castle moving on kyrios was an exploit since it could not be beaten. When will punishment be delivered on said exploiting?

Steps have already been taken on that, and the castle exploit has been fixed within the code.

[Metsuro]

Steps have already been taken on that, and the castle exploit has been fixed within the code.

Steps were taken to deem that not an exploit, and just an unintended game mechanic. Your new definition now clearly points to it being an exploit, not just unintended mechanics. So now we just have to ignore all past exploits labeled unintended mechanics up until you guys decided this is the definition of what an exploit is? To point this out. The fix in code was to add yet another exploit. To allow the guild leader the ability to gain infinite infamy without ever being kicked from faction until after they lose the castle. So can I get you to confirm that its not an exploit to boot everyone from my guild and gain 10k+ infamy without going pirate?

[Denick]

So based on this definition, the castle moving on kyrios was an exploit since it could not be beaten. When will punishment be delivered on said exploiting?

Seconded, but applied to all the servers the castle movie exploit occurred as that was definitely an unbeatable advantage.

[Dremlock]

Exploit (verb, /ikˈsploit/) – A behavior or situation that is unintended by the game’s design and
leads to a clearly unbeatable advantage.

Does money count as an exploit?

[Denick]

Steps have already been taken on that, and the castle exploit has been fixed within the code.

I know your new, and truly appreciate your level head and the fact that you are trying to bring some fairness and equality, but to say that steps were already taken on that is a slap in the face to those who lost because of that exploit.

[beepbeepbeepbeep]

Quick question whats the standing on the kraken glitch with harpoons? considering it really isnt doing anything different than morpheus/hanure LOS'ing.
Also how do you come up with whats a bannable "exploit". it just seems that things are picked to be bannable and not bannable based on 2 criteria. 1 do people care? and 2 how badly does it hurt the game. At this point in time no one cares if you glitch GHA bosses. no one cared before because it was an easy way to get decent gear in the day.
But if you glitch kraken or anthalon using in game mechanics, no different than dungeons in reality, thats considered a bannable exploit. now i can see why because it drastically effects the game. especially kraken because it drops end game gear. but do we only care about this because they drop delph quality stuff? if kraken only dropped illustrious or mag gear and little to no gold would it still be considered a bannable exploit?

i posted this on reddit and decided to post here as well in the off chance it isnt seen. Btw keep up the good work Celestrata

[Celestrata Bloodsong]

Quick question whats the standing on the kraken glitch with harpoons? considering it really isnt doing anything different than morpheus/hanure LOS'ing.
Also how do you come up with whats a bannable "exploit". it just seems that things are picked to be bannable and not bannable based on 2 criteria. 1 do people care? and 2 how badly does it hurt the game. At this point in time no one cares if you glitch GHA bosses. no one cared before because it was an easy way to get decent gear in the day.
But if you glitch kraken or anthalon using in game mechanics, no different than dungeons in reality, thats considered a bannable exploit. now i can see why because it drastically effects the game. especially kraken because it drops end game gear. but do we only care about this because they drop delph quality stuff? if kraken only dropped illustrious or mag gear and little to no gold would it still be considered a bannable exploit?

i posted this on reddit and decided to post here as well in the off chance it isnt seen. Btw keep up the good work Celestrata

Answered you over on Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/archeage/co...t_goes/csvdzsa