Topic

Reminder about alts

Just as a reminder, in this time of increased vending: if you have an alt (alternate account) that has a tower and sells stuff, you can't then transfer the currants you've made to your main account.  (Just don't want anyone to get in trouble or anything 'cause they didn't know.)

Posted 5 months ago by diaveborn ♥ Subscriber! | Permalink

Replies

  • Might be a good time to review all of the Community Guidelines

    Here's the particular passage

    In Glitch, the journey matters far more than the destination. This game is not about just winning, leveling up, or amassing the most currants.

    • Using bots, mules, or other hacks to gain significant and unfair advantage in the game is not allowed.
    • Multiple accounts controlled by one person playing at the same time is not allowed.
    • Duping or deceiving other players into doing things which benefit you at their expense is not allowed.
    Posted 5 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Not that I have or would but I really don't see what difference it would make.  At the end of the day whether it's an alt or main, it's the person behind the glitch who has obtained the items that they are selling and put in the work.  

    They'll still have the money either way so...
    Posted 5 months ago by ~Arabesque~ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Arabesque, imagine starting two accounts where you start learning two different skill paths, and you're able to do more (make more, sell more) than what you otherwise would, because you have more starting ability than normal.  Yes, you still put in the work, but you were able to base that work on more than what one account would have had.  That's just an example.
    Posted 5 months ago by diaveborn ♥ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Why the concern over currants?

    Wall segments I could see as "significant", but personally I don't get the concern over currants.

    Full disclosure: I have 4 alts. Before /homes, I seeded two of them 5k to buy a starter house. I also donated at least 2c for every 1c I transferred. My newest got 0c, and now has over 400k, mostly from crabs.
    Posted 5 months ago by Sturminator i` Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Another example: Imagine you like potatoes. So you make multiple alts, with multiple garden spots each, and grow 20000 potatoes a day. That's not really in the Glitch spirit of things, and definitely an unfair advantage over any other potato farmers.

    (No potatoes were harmed in the making of this scenario, however it was used as an item that no one would really care about. It's not the item that matters, but the avoiding of game mechanics (space for gardens, time to grow item) to optimize said potato empire.)
    Posted 5 months ago by XD Subscriber! | Permalink
  • My personal "concern" is this: Regardless of my experience or opinions or anybody else's opinions, or how much we debate the issue (and really I'm kind of done with the thread since debate on this topic isn't my thing right now), certain actions could get us into trouble, and I'd hate for anybody to put themselves in a difficult position unknowingly.
    Posted 5 months ago by diaveborn ♥ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • What I meant was they could still buy for example from the marketplace by paying half from one account and half from the other - it's just how it would work.  I think the only way someone would get in trouble is if someone felt hard done by and made a report.  I think it's highly doubtful (for the most part) that players would advertise the fact that they were using alts for gain.  I'm sure tho none of us are naive enough to not realise it more than likely happens frequently every day. Everyone plays in their own way and with their own set of ideals and ethics in game.  As long as it doesn't infringe directly into my game play it's really a no harm/no foul situ for me.

    As it is my alt is always skint, my main has helped him out with emblems on occasion as when I got my complete icon set (and then some) and the bottom dropped from the market there wasn't much point in auctioning them anymore so I just gave them to him (my alt is a he I've decided lol)

    My alt has also had a paid subscription and purchased credits, what's good for my main is good for my alt also : )
    Posted 5 months ago by ~Arabesque~ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • A real clear exploitation of alts was described to me as if you were friends with them, with keys, and you never logged in with your alts, but simply used their resources for your main account.  And, I mean, we're talking like huge pig herds or swaths of gardens, that sort of thing.

    However, even that isn't really clearly bad, because you're sort of encouraged to do that with your friends resources, too!  Because there really is more than enough to go around.

    There are some key words in the TOS, as quoted above, which I'll highlight here:

    • Using bots, mules, or other hacks to gain significant and unfair advantage in the game is not allowed.
    • Multiple accounts controlled by one person playing at the same time is not allowed.
    • Duping or deceiving other players into doing things which benefit you at their expense is not allowed.

    So, it seems to me that if you log in to only one account at a time, are real up front with everyone about who you are, and/or keep your accounts separate from each other, you'll almost certainly be safe.  If you at least stick to interactions that you'd expect between other Glitches (and still only log in one acct at a time), you'll likely still be safe.  Fair is a subjective word, but everybody has a strong sense of it.

    Anyway, I mostly come here for the personal interactions, so deceiving other people with my alt would be a complex game (tempting for some people to do), but it would end up being something so heinous that there wouldn't really be any doubt in anyone's mind that it was wrong.  Not my kind of game, either.  I prefer honesty and my own personal sacrifice.

    After all, you can't take away that which I'd most willingly give!
    Posted 5 months ago by Carl Projectorinski Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Diaveborn, the warning is well received.  Thank you for the reminder!

    The debate, however, is just a little too fun to pass up. ;)
    Posted 5 months ago by Carl Projectorinski Subscriber! | Permalink
  • You're cleeaarly wrong Carl. The debate isn't fun. Its mandatory!

    This is the internets, after all...
    Posted 5 months ago by Sturminator i` Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Well, somebody has to be wrong on the internet, or it will be completely meaningless!
    Posted 5 months ago by Carl Projectorinski Subscriber! | Permalink
  •  I think the only way someone would get in trouble is if someone felt hard done by and made a report. 

    Or if TS noticed an unusual pattern of trades and exchanges between two (or more) account.  Remember that TS stores everything you do in the game*, and computer algorithms can discover uncommon activity.  It wouldn't take someone else reporting.  Just behavior that was unusual compared to how other Glitches play.

    At that point TS staff would be able to take a closer look at those accounts and decide whether the Community Guidelines were being violated.  

    *that's how they count up for badges, etc.
    Posted 5 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • What is unusual? People trade/exhange everyday in game.  I dunno, storing everything doesn't mean they (a living person) read line by line.  I'm not techified like you though, your brilliance with regards to the IT stuff amazes me sometimes!
    Posted 5 months ago by ~Arabesque~ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Here's a RL example:

    Have you ever had your credit card company call you to verify a purchase?  Sometimes, if you buy something that costs several hundred dollars when you usually don't charge more than $100 per purchase, your credit card company will call to confirm that you, yourself, made that purchase and that your card number is not being used illegally.

    Or, if you make 10 purchases in an afternoon, when you usually only use that card once a week for gas.  

    For other people who frequently spend $150 for a meal at a fancy restaurant several times a week, the triggers may be different.  For people who charge thousands of dollars in airplane tickets every week but never buy jewelry, a $200 purchase at a jewelry store might trigger a review.  

    The computers can spot activity that doesn't fit your "usual" pattern, whatever "usual" is for that account.  It's clear from some of the deletions here on Glitch, that TS has a way of spotting "unusual" activity.  

    So it doesn't take a human report to trigger an account review.  The computers can be set up to send a "heads up" report about any "unusual activity", ie behavior on an account that is different from the usual behavior on that account, or is different from how most people behave when playing Glitch.  
    Posted 5 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • That makes perfect sense!! I hate getting those phone calls from the bank - they hated Facebook for some reason :?
    Posted 5 months ago by ~Arabesque~ Subscriber! | Permalink
  • It wouldn't take someone else reporting.   Just behavior that was unusual compared to how other Glitches play.

    I suspect that while at the baseline of initial activity, they might initially compare one Glitch's behavior to another Glitch's...however, just like in the credit card fraud activity example, I suspect a more appropriate model would be to compare that Glitch's behavior to itself for the model baseline of behavior.  If I never give anything to anyone except my main or my alt, then that would be one level of check...however, if tend to give stuff to everyone (good friends and personal accounts), that is in the realm of acceptable behavior.  The general rule seems to be, if you actually play your alt (but not at the same time as your other account(s)), it's cool; and if you actually play with your other personal account(s) as you do with your friends, that too is okay.  However, if you treat your other personal account(s) SIGNIFICANTLY differently in game than you would treat a good friend, you likely will get yourself into trouble.

    However, since none of us knows the precise algorithms or methods that TS uses to determine this behavior, it's silly for any of us to speculate what might be the triggers that they look for that indicate unusual or significantly beneficial behavior toward another account(s) that would result in a closure of an account.  And deleted alts doesn't necessarily indicate it was a TS induced closure.  Many folks got bored after the un-release and prior to the big housing update, and created multiple alts to keep their interest in the game, and try different things.  With all the recent new game content, some of these additional accounts are getting to be just too much to manage, so the players are closing/deleting the alts themselves.

    Heck, even the devs have alts, so alternate accounts in of themselves are not evil or bad as some almost always like to infer.  And alts that interact with their main accounts in a way that is consistent with how they would interact with a friend or family member in game isn't necessarily evil or bad either (else why would the devs 'friend' their alts?).
    Posted 5 months ago by Uniquely Prime Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @Uniquely Prime
    Some people who have been deleted by TS have told others what that reason was.  At least one of those deletions was for using an alt for unfair advantage.
    Posted 5 months ago by WindBorn Subscriber! | Permalink
  • I'd really like to see something official from TS about transferring items/currants between alts.
    Posted 5 months ago by Aliera Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Last time this came up (when herb garden plots became available in bog homes), staff pretty much said that any interaction at all between alts is not allowed. The language they put in the forum was alot more strict than what is in the TOS. I don't have a link, and the search function doesn't work too well in the forums, but I remember it quite distinctly. 
    Posted 5 months ago by Shepherdmoon Subscriber! | Permalink
  • TS takes steps to prevent abuse, which is why our start up furniture is non-tradeable and non-sellable.  I'd say they're pretty aware of the situation ^__^

    I can understand the concern, but as for myself, I play to enjoy the game - not to "win", nor get an advantage over anyone.  I've been very open with my alts - after all, they all start with "Genki". lol~
    Posted 5 months ago by Genkicoll Subscriber! | Permalink
  • @ Aliera e'Kieron

    "Using bots, mules, or other hacks to gain significant and unfair advantage in the game is not allowed."

    So, as long as you're not creating an unfair advantage it's ok to transfer items/currants between alts.

    In the past I've sent my alt a few currants, to buy a hoe or something like that, because I would do the same for a low-level friend. I think I once read in the forum that it's ok to have alts, as long as you treat them as 2 different characters and don't use one to support the other (e.g. learn remote herdkeeping, send everything to the main or something like that). I don't think we need TS to tell us exactly what's permitted and what not. Just keep the guidelines in mind when your play with alts.
    Posted 5 months ago by Victoria Subscriber! | Permalink
  • http://www.glitch.com/forum/general/13500/

    Not all applicable now of course.
    Posted 5 months ago by JW Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks for reminding me about my alt. That dude is probably pretty dusty now.
    Posted 5 months ago by Otto Otto Subscriber! | Permalink
  • Thanks for the link, JW. That sums it up perfectly. And thanks for looking out for your fellow Glitchen, diaveborn ♥
    Posted 5 months ago by Aleph Zero Subscriber! | Permalink