[Notice to MODS.. leave this posted in all GAME HACKING forums until July 20th, 2005]
HALO 2 HACKING FORUM The End is Near?
The Admin and head staff of XS are currently discussing and debating the merits of keeping this forum in its current condition on Xbox-Scene.
The Admin have tackled the ongoing philosophies for a few years now.. how do we keep LIVE, and help to preserve it.. while, giving our members what they want.. an open and relatively free area to discuss, research, and communicate ideas back and forth.
Once upon a time.. our policy was.. nothing that can be used on live.. or hurt LIVE.. will be allowed as a discussion topic. That worked.. for awhile.
We then updated some of our policy.. and allow moderate discussion. That worked.. but then of course.. many topics of considerable friction started to divide the masses on XS.
Were now at our present level.. where we have forums for hacking and modding of many major xbox titles.. most of which have a LIVE element. Now.. we are kicking and screaming in these forums.. with lines very well drawn. Our current policy has been. LIVE.. and to a lesser extend Bungie and the other devs need to police themselves, and their live members. XS cant, and wont be responsible for the actions of their members.
That.. while still true.. we cant be responsible for their actions, and those services SHOULD be policing themselves.. clearly cannot do so. LIVE HACKING for HALO and other games is dog-gone insane right now. People are doing freaky shit in custom and matching games.. Bungie, despite a few bans, and a few warning, has done little to stop their members from using exploits on their services.
LIVE, and BUNGIE, have more than enough power with their TOS and EULA to stop people from using pirate maps, hacks, modded maps, cheats etc on their service. Why arent they tracking things better.. we know they are tracking a lot.. so why arent they taking more decisive action? I know.. or at least people whisper it enough in my ear.. that when I (HSD) am on live.. they are surely watching and listening. I know I dont cheat.. and my LIVE box is virginal. Im sure with the myriad of things they can check and scan for while Im on their service.. they know it too. However, many of these guys who do these undesirable things, play with me.. or at least hang in a lobby and chat.
Yet.. month after month.. LIVE and BUNGIE promise to clean up the game.
They cant. Best they can do.. is nail a few of the most annoying cheaters, only after they get enough feedback.
So.. what does Bungie and LIVE do? Threats.. warnings.. and more threats. Each month.. stronger.. more virulent threats. Well.. these threats.. we dont shrug off anymore. We are giving ample consideration to them. Xbox-Scene has always walked a fine line, but weve done our best to remain legal.
Currently though.. with the GAME HACKING forums on XS.. we seem to be catering two two distinct types of players
On one side.. we have people who mods the games.. for the pure enjoyment of modding games. They do it for themselves.. they show it off on their own boxes. Some.. will go onto free services.. and share these in rooms with friends and other invited parties. (or.. will at least let people know.. this is a modded room) Generally.. these people arent out to ruin anyones experience.. and dont kid themselves into thinking they are great.
On the other side.. we got the darker element. People modding, hacking, ppfing to give themselves a slight edge. Sometime.. that slight edge is downright brutal.. and giving them extreme attributes making them impossible to play with.
That is what seems to have gotten lost in all of this.. PLAY.
People just dont seem to be playing the game anymore. Oh. Theyll spend 10 hours a day reading, researching, and trying and applying ppfs, hacking/cracking authent keys.. etc. But many of these same people.. just dont PLAY the game anymore.
Awesome.. so now theyve attained attributes a noob might not know how to get. 8 Rockets.. maps you can see through.. etc. Level 30 or better.
Well.. many of you learned how to do all that here on XS. Some learned it elsewhere. Doesnt really matter.. as its becoming increasing clear that those who use MODS, HACKS, PPFs, Pirated Maps.. etc.. are now starting to piss off those who have the money, and lawyers, and the know how to get sites like us into legal hot water. I put the blame squarely on the entire group.. not just cheaters. (so dont waste my time or yours throwing flames, or telling me or us we are wrong. We dont care)
In the next couple of days.. we will make a determination how to proceed. What I can say.. is that XS will not put itself in a position where we will need to defend ourselves legally. (which means.. when push comes to shove.. some or all of the hacking/modding/cheating aspects of the XS Game Hacking Forums will cease to exist)
You dont have to like the comments Ive made.. and you dont have to agree with them. When we make a decision. It will be final and absolute.
Long ago.. we strayed from many of the original principles of the founding of this site.. in order to try and satisfy all of our membership. Sometimes, we have to sit back, admit that sometimes we cant cater to everyone.. and cut off an arm or two to feed the wolves and to keep them back.
Note.. that if we take any action on the HALO 2 Hacking forums.. we will give equal consideration to reviewing the other GAME HACKING forums on XS. HALO 2 isnt being singled out unfairly.. if anything.. its just the first of many that will change or disappear from XS.
.. and just in case it hasnt been said enough recently, anyone posting links to the AWSK or other MAP PACKS on XS, will have their accounts closed. Those maps are the property of MS/Bungie. You can purchase them, or wait for them to become FREE on their service. At no time, now, or in the near future, will linking to those packs, direct or indirect be allowed on Xbox-Scene. Those maps are not copyright cleared, and I doubt they ever will be. The moron members of XS.. who are tripping over themselves to install the simple MAP PACKS via downloads, are also a huge reason the HALO 2 forums are being reviewed. Between the HALO 2 maps pirates, and the people whiny, crying, and complaining about cheaters, and the cheaters themselves, youve all pretty much driven the Halo 2 Hacking Forum all to shit.
Just in case it wasn't apparent.. I think and expect Bungie (and transversely LIVE) to ban anyone using pirated maps, hacked maps, weapon hack/mods, attribute mods, save game hacks and exploits etc. As a paying customer.. I expect that when going on LIVE.. I'd be up against people on a level playing field, instead, LIVE, with their lack of response to cheats, have allowed the once great LIVE service to become a "who can get their new hack/mod/exploit working and out to the masses the quickest.." joke.
LIVE needs to sort their house.. before 360 launches. Otherwise.. their currently tarnished name will only get worse as more people become frustrated with the lack of decisive action on LIVE or Bungies part to clean up their service. Note to Bungie, I won't pretend to know the inner working of all the hacks.mods/cheats for halo.. but ffs.. put some more people on it and close your shit up. This isn't brain surgery. Unless of course.. like a name I saw a member of your service used.. "BUNGIE CANT CODE"
The members of this site, and some of the recent abuse aren't really the problem. Its the lack of attention LIVE has placed on this issue. They seem to prefer the approach.. "if we put our collective heads in the sands..."
Of course.. maybe we've been looking at it all wrong.. maybe they are staffed by moron.. and the 13 years old her simple got them scratching their heads. Maybe Bungie can offer some awesome kids here an action figure for the tips on how people hack and cheat.
HSDEMONZ, Admin
Xbox-Scene.com, Forums.Xbox-Scene.com
[Notice to MODS.. leave this posted in all GAME HACKING forums until July 20th, 2005]
edit: unpinning, its july 20th and i believe the h2 patch was released today.
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Topic: No Halo 2 Hacking/modding/piracy Discussions (Read 139 times)