Greetings SRF:
SRO is the game that brought us all together. In the beginning, when it was still fresh and new, it was full of potential and open to anything. The climate of the game today is less friendly. Bots run rampant; they stand in towns and shout about gold-selling sites; they clog the servers, preventing people who wish to play the game by hand from getting in; they become powerful in much less time. Joymax has done very little to solve the game's problems; there is little to no customer support.
"But wait!", you say. "Someone is releasing an SRO Private Server! Halleluja, the answer to our prayers! It will be moderated! It will have customer service! It will dispense with the grind! It will fix what is wrong with the game!"
Will it do these things? Sure. But what else does it do? This private server is owned and operated by a known gold- and bot-selling company. In fact, they are even allowing their bot to be used on their private server without repercussions. Those who are looking to play on the private server to escape the bot problem are walking into a disappointment. Perhaps it's more that many who are looking to play on the private server wish to do so because they will be able to bot there and have it be ok? A sad perspective, but completely possible.
"But is it legal?" The legality or illegality of the server itself - meaning the files it uses, whether they breach copyrights, etc. - is not something that we here at SRF posess the body of knowdge to adequately debate. But the facts are clear here: this server is selling Silk. They have the potential to make a profit from Joymax's work. Buying this silk is directly supporting a company which also sells gold and bots. A company which, I might add, is also distributing bots and multi-client software for its own private server!
"Ok, but why haven't you outlawed PK2 editing? THAT'S against JM's ToS too!" 90% or more of PK2 edits are client-side only and do not alter the way the game is played and enjoyed for anyone other than the editor. No one else can see their work, it doesn't affect gameplay, and to the knowledge of the SRF staff, no one has ever been banned for it, nor has JM ever come down against it. Private servers, on the other hand, are universally vilified by the companies which created the games. Blizzard is currently in a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the owners of WoW private servers. It has happened over and over again. As soon as someone starts to profit from this - or starts to take profits away from Joymax - it will be shut down. It's only a matter of time.
"So why does SRF care? It's not like Joymax does. Why follow their lead?" Someone has to. As the biggest fan forum on the internet, people come HERE looking for info on SRO first, often long before the official site. We want to create a game environment which is fun for everyone, where there are no cheaters, no imbalance of power due to illegal activities, etc. In essence, we are training new users to be good users through our stance on many issues. SRF cannot and will not support any server run by a company which sells bots and gold. We will not EVER condone a private server which allows you to buy silk which lines the pockets of those who have destroyed the official servers. ...Should you?
If anyone has any questions or comments, PM me or one of the Mod Staff. We will be more than happy to answer them.
-SG
Does he/she think people actually care where/who the private servers come from?
SRO is the game that brought us all together. In the beginning, when it was still fresh and new, it was full of potential and open to anything. The climate of the game today is less friendly. Bots run rampant; they stand in towns and shout about gold-selling sites; they clog the servers, preventing people who wish to play the game by hand from getting in; they become powerful in much less time. Joymax has done very little to solve the game's problems; there is little to no customer support.
"But wait!", you say. "Someone is releasing an SRO Private Server! Halleluja, the answer to our prayers! It will be moderated! It will have customer service! It will dispense with the grind! It will fix what is wrong with the game!"
Will it do these things? Sure. But what else does it do? This private server is owned and operated by a known gold- and bot-selling company. In fact, they are even allowing their bot to be used on their private server without repercussions. Those who are looking to play on the private server to escape the bot problem are walking into a disappointment. Perhaps it's more that many who are looking to play on the private server wish to do so because they will be able to bot there and have it be ok? A sad perspective, but completely possible.
"But is it legal?" The legality or illegality of the server itself - meaning the files it uses, whether they breach copyrights, etc. - is not something that we here at SRF posess the body of knowdge to adequately debate. But the facts are clear here: this server is selling Silk. They have the potential to make a profit from Joymax's work. Buying this silk is directly supporting a company which also sells gold and bots. A company which, I might add, is also distributing bots and multi-client software for its own private server!
"Ok, but why haven't you outlawed PK2 editing? THAT'S against JM's ToS too!" 90% or more of PK2 edits are client-side only and do not alter the way the game is played and enjoyed for anyone other than the editor. No one else can see their work, it doesn't affect gameplay, and to the knowledge of the SRF staff, no one has ever been banned for it, nor has JM ever come down against it. Private servers, on the other hand, are universally vilified by the companies which created the games. Blizzard is currently in a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the owners of WoW private servers. It has happened over and over again. As soon as someone starts to profit from this - or starts to take profits away from Joymax - it will be shut down. It's only a matter of time.
"So why does SRF care? It's not like Joymax does. Why follow their lead?" Someone has to. As the biggest fan forum on the internet, people come HERE looking for info on SRO first, often long before the official site. We want to create a game environment which is fun for everyone, where there are no cheaters, no imbalance of power due to illegal activities, etc. In essence, we are training new users to be good users through our stance on many issues. SRF cannot and will not support any server run by a company which sells bots and gold. We will not EVER condone a private server which allows you to buy silk which lines the pockets of those who have destroyed the official servers. ...Should you?
If anyone has any questions or comments, PM me or one of the Mod Staff. We will be more than happy to answer them.
-SG
Does he/she think people actually care where/who the private servers come from?
