[Suggestion] ID Verification Requirement for Opening Threads in Private SRO Advertisement Section

[Siezma09]

Hello,

I’d like to propose the introduction of an ID verification requirement for users who wish to open threads in the Silkroad Online Private Server Advertisement section.

Problem:

Every week, new private servers are being announced, and a large number of them turn out to be fraudulent. Many of these servers are created by the same individuals using different accounts, names, and branding – clearly violating forum rules regarding multi-accounting and misleading advertising. These servers often:
• Stay online for only 1–2 weeks
• Shut down suddenly after accepting donations
• Leave players with lost time and money

Although I’ve reported many of these cases before (including multi-accounting and old thread editing), the current system makes it difficult to trace and hold individuals accountable. This leads to a recurring pattern of abuse.

Suggestion:

Introduce a mandatory ID verification step for users before they can post in the SRO P-Server Advertisement section.

Why This Is Important:
• It increases accountability and transparency
• It protects players from repeat scammers
• It helps staff moderate the section more effectively

This measure would not affect honest server owners but would make it much harder for scammers to operate repeatedly. I believe elitepvpers has a responsibility to protect its user base from exploitation, especially in areas where real money is frequently involved.

Looking forward to your feedback.

Best regards,
Siezma

[cypher]

In the Metin2 section, players are pretty good at identifying servers that fall into this category. By evaluating what the server owners offer in terms of effort and their (if any) previous activity, it's each player's responsibility to decide whether to play or spend money on the server.

Restricting access to the advertising sections will also lower user engagement and move activity to alternative platforms.

[Siezma09]

There is not much active Website than Elitepvpers for Sro. You can be sure this will be perfect.

[notHype*]

I disagree with this suggestion.

This seems like a good idea in theory, but what stops someone from intentionally excluding accounts/members of their current team from their team table, to simply have them ID verify & open another thread on behalf of their entire team? (Yes, this could be/is already happening now, but this would certainly exacerbate the problem.)

We both know the servers you are referring to have many "behind the scenes" members of their team who would be more than willing to identify themselves with the fake/alt EPVP accounts that those teams are currently abusing.

A simple ID verification is not going to stop the people you are trying to target. I can't see a single upside to this, as it's so easily abusable.
I can see many downsides though:

- Innocent teams being affected as they don't want to show their ID for privacy reasons. Some of the SRO section moderators are a part of the community (i.e. actively playing private servers, dealing with people in the scene, etc.) and several people would rather not risk that information getting out.
- More hoops to jump through, more bullshit & hassle. The publishing requirements have become rather excessive over the last few years, and if you don't already have a base layout of the necessary rule add-ons to add to your thread, it can take a decent amount of time to create them, and these days many server owners are simply avoiding dealing with the hassle and are choosing to publish on other forums while not bothering with Elitepvpers (EPVP does not grant the exposure and member gain for servers that it once did, and people are no longer willing to stay loyal to just this forum for SRO. They go where it's easiest to publish). This would just be another requirement that would turn off publishers and reduce activity in the advertising section.
- Could lead to a dishonest/reduced visibility of a server's full team for the sake of bypassing this, as explained in the first few sentences.

Don't get me wrong, I definitely think there needs to be more in-depth verification for publishing in the advertising section, I just think this is a faulty way to go about it.

[Siezma09]

Originally Posted by notHype*

I disagree with this suggestion.

This seems like a good idea in theory, but what stops someone from intentionally excluding accounts/members of their current team from their team table, to simply have them ID verify & open another thread on behalf of their entire team? (Yes, this could be/is already happening now, but this would certainly exacerbate the problem.)

We both know the servers you are referring to have many "behind the scenes" members of their team who would be more than willing to identify themselves with the fake/alt EPVP accounts that those teams are currently abusing.

A simple ID verification is not going to stop the people you are trying to target. I can't see a single upside to this, as it's so easily abusable.
I can see many downsides though:

- Innocent teams being affected as they don't want to show their ID for privacy reasons. Some of the SRO section moderators are a part of the community (i.e. actively playing private servers, dealing with people in the scene, etc.) and several people would rather not risk that information getting out.
- More hoops to jump through, more bullshit & hassle. The publishing requirements have become rather excessive over the last few years, and if you don't already have a base layout of the necessary rule add-ons to add to your thread, it can take a decent amount of time to create them, and these days many server owners are simply avoiding dealing with the hassle and are choosing to publish on other forums while not bothering with Elitepvpers (EPVP does not grant the exposure and member gain for servers that it once did, and people are no longer willing to stay loyal to just this forum for SRO. They go where it's easiest to publish). This would just be another requirement that would turn off publishers and reduce activity in the advertising section.
- Could lead to a dishonest/reduced visibility of a server's full team for the sake of bypassing this, as explained in the first few sentences.

Don't get me wrong, I definitely think there needs to be more in-depth verification for publishing in the advertising section, I just think this is a faulty way to go about it.

Do you really think those other forums have more traffic? You’re talking about forums that are followed by only 100-150 people, and I know this because I know you. I’ve worked with the forums you mentioned many times before, and none of them were as effective as Elitepvpers, nor can they be.

If Devsome implements the team tracking system he previously applied, no one will be able to hide their team, and even if the same team members verify their identity in the future, they won’t be able to open a new thread.

Currently, there are too many advertisement threads opened using multi-accounts in the forum, and the moderators and admins are probably tired of it and are ignoring the rules.

If Elitepvpers is already implementing the ID verification system on the site, they can easily apply it to the PSRO Advertising section for opening advertisement threads. This way, tracking becomes easier, and the same people won’t be able to open new servers every month with different accounts.

[Kyrillos*]

i agree with you

[Kirby]

Nah.

People usually identify scams pretty quickly.
Restricting advertisements to ID verification would decrease the amount of activity in the Sections + I cant speak for SRO, but most Metin2 servers for example tend to come from the same owners from previous Servers, otherwise the P-server section would be dying out.


+ No one is forcing you to buy things, if you think a server might last you can invest in it or just wait it out and invest in it later. (or obviously just dont)

[Siezma09]

I am not very familiar with how the game owners or rules are regulated on the Metin2 side. However, on the Silkroad side, things have gotten out of control. The Admins and Moderators are aware of the rules, but the game owners often easily bypass them, and the Admin-Mod team can no longer keep up with it.

In the Silkroad Online section, 10-15 new games are launched every week, and the rules can be easily violated.

For example, a game owner can open a new game thread on Elitepvpers once every 6 months, but the same person is creating multiple threads within 6 months, and the administrators are not noticing it.

I can provide more examples if requested.

Originally Posted by Kirby

Nah.

People usually identify scams pretty quickly.
Restricting advertisements to ID verification would decrease the amount of activity in the Sections + I cant speak for SRO, but most Metin2 servers for example tend to come from the same owners from previous Servers, otherwise the P-server section would be dying out.


+ No one is forcing you to buy things, if you think a server might last you can invest in it or just wait it out and invest in it later. (or obviously just dont)

[Kirby]

It's not that I don't understand the problem, but it's counterproductive to restrict advertising so that people can only post with ID verification. (+ not everyone wants to give their personal data to any kind of forum or internet platform)

In the Metin2 section there is also rules in which time you´re allowed to advertise your P-Server again which is nearly the same as SRO:

 Spoiler

Metin2 (got reduced to 3 month, was 6 month before):
14. each server should strive for a minimum uptime of 3 months.
15. if no uptime of 3 months has been reached, we will automatically impose a publication ban on the server operators for 3 months. The release date counts as the start date of the penalty.
16. after a period of 3 months, each server operator is permitted to publish a further server, provided that the existing server is retained. This regulation applies to every additional server. In the case of a third server, for example, the two previously created servers must continue to be operated. Server networks are therefore generally permitted.


SRO:
Each server/thread should aim for a minimum runtime of 6 months.
If no uptime of 6 months has been reached, we will automatically prohibit the publication of further threads for 6 months. The release date counts as start date for the cooldown.
After a runtime of 6 months, each server operator is allowed to publish another thread for a new server or relaunch. The same 6 month rule will then apply upon the creation of the new thread. Server networks are therefore generally allowed.

There will always be people who do "multi-accounting" or "Scam" others, but the epvp team will take care of it and is strict with their rules if there is evidence.

Which looks like the following, where someone has already presented their P-Server again prior the 6 Months.

 Spoiler

[Siezma09]

Then, the department managers need to be changed. The monitoring system and the way complaints are handled are not acceptable at all.

However, I still believe that ID verification should be implemented. It will improve the quality of that department.

Originally Posted by Kirby

It's not that I don't understand the problem, but it's counterproductive to restrict advertising so that people can only post with ID verification. (+ not everyone wants to give their personal data to any kind of forum or internet platform)

In the Metin2 section there is also rules in which time you´re allowed to advertise your P-Server again which is nearly the same as SRO:

 Spoiler

Metin2 (got reduced to 3 month, was 6 month before):
14. each server should strive for a minimum uptime of 3 months.
15. if no uptime of 3 months has been reached, we will automatically impose a publication ban on the server operators for 3 months. The release date counts as the start date of the penalty.
16. after a period of 3 months, each server operator is permitted to publish a further server, provided that the existing server is retained. This regulation applies to every additional server. In the case of a third server, for example, the two previously created servers must continue to be operated. Server networks are therefore generally permitted.


SRO:
Each server/thread should aim for a minimum runtime of 6 months.
If no uptime of 6 months has been reached, we will automatically prohibit the publication of further threads for 6 months. The release date counts as start date for the cooldown.
After a runtime of 6 months, each server operator is allowed to publish another thread for a new server or relaunch. The same 6 month rule will then apply upon the creation of the new thread. Server networks are therefore generally allowed.

There will always be people who do "multi-accounting" or "Scam" others, but the epvp team will take care of it and is strict with their rules if there is evidence.

Which looks like the following, where someone has already presented their P-Server again prior the 6 Months.

 Spoiler

[Xenos]

Soon elitepvpers please @Luke

[Siezma09]

Originally Posted by Xenos

Soon elitepvpers please @