I was banned today from the SWG forums for the most outrageous reason.

Here is the post:

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=729146

pretty simple post discussing the addition of a V-wing ship in the pilots wheel. the poster basically wanted to know why its in the wheel now and when it will be added to the game.

Valara (community manager) posted this halfway through the thread

"While the V-wing certification was added to the Pilot wheel, it was a bit premature, and it may be removed soon to prevent confusion as the ship is not in game at the moment. Unfortunately that's all the information I can share about the V-wing for now.

On a related note, any posts or threads with images or movies from the game files will be removed from the forum and action may be taken against your forum account. Everyone is welcome to speculate and give feedback, but please keep those images out of it. Thank you!"

I simply posted back quoting Valaras response that I thought it was rediculous that a persons forum account could have action taken against it for posting a picture or talking about an item that is in the actual proffesion wheel. I did not post any images or flame. I just posted the fact that that comment was harsh.

after that I get this right on my homepage

"You have been banned.
You may NOT post or place in a signature any material that attacks or insults others on the forums; or engages in name-calling, harassment, or threats. Feel free to debate an idea, but do not turn your disagreement into an attack upon the poster or any person or group."

anyone out there think this is uncalled for? I contacted $oe and have not recieved one reply back. un freakin believable

they do shit like that in the eq2 forums all the time. wonder, what they do when they drove off all the customers..

I just cant believe it ya know? I have NEVER posted one single negative or flaming comment in the 5 years I have had that account. I just cant believe that loyalty for 5 years can be crapped on so vagrantly... oh yeh nm. forgot about CU and NGE...

The EULA/ToS whatever states that you cannot publicly question the actions of moderators.

Keeping that in mind, your banishment was just.

This kind of fascist response typically gets rolled out by people who know they've screwed up.

1. Seek clarification on precisely why you were banned - not just their generic automatic response.
2. Have a look through both the game's and the forum's terms of service.
3. Make a formal complaint, including your post, to someone in SOE - not SWG.

Personally I've terminated subscriptions over this kind of nonsense. I've never been banned, reprimanded or anything like that, but when game companies start ignoring or abusing their own ToS, they stop getting my money even if I'm really enjoying the game.

Originally posted by darwa

The EULA/ToS whatever states that you cannot publicly question the actions of moderators.

Keeping that in mind, your banishment was just.

It really wasn't. Even if the fascism is enshrined in the ToS, you don't ban someone for a first offence of any kind unless it's monstrous.

What he describes of his response doesn't qualify for an instant ban. It would qualify for a PM from a moderator pointing him to this rule in the ToS and asking that he not do it again.

That has to be one of the funiest yet retarted CS responses I have ever read on SWG oboards.

Darwa ain't saying it was okay. I'm not saying it was okay either. But reality: they own it, so they can ban you for whatever reason they want. End of story. Follow their rules then, or face the banstick.

Well OP, and I really do mean this with no offense, but you are a fool if you keep giving this company your money, especially if they don't unban you immediately.

If you give these guys another dime or your money then you have no room to complain.

Didn't one of the developers ask players to post pictures of things in the .tre files that they wanted added to the game (a bit over a month ago I believe)?  Now they are threatening to ban people for doing it?  Doesn't make much sense.

Originally posted by portallzaine

I was banned today from the SWG forums for the most outrageous reason.

Here is the post:

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=729146

pretty simple post discussing the addition of a V-wing ship in the pilots wheel. the poster basically wanted to know why its in the wheel now and when it will be added to the game.

Valara (community manager) posted this halfway through the thread

"While the V-wing certification was added to the Pilot wheel, it was a bit premature, and it may be removed soon to prevent confusion as the ship is not in game at the moment. Unfortunately that's all the information I can share about the V-wing for now.

On a related note, any posts or threads with images or movies from the game files will be removed from the forum and action may be taken against your forum account. Everyone is welcome to speculate and give feedback, but please keep those images out of it. Thank you!"

I simply posted back quoting Valaras response that I thought it was rediculous that a persons forum account could have action taken against it for posting a picture or talking about an item that is in the actual proffesion wheel. I did not post any images or flame. I just posted the fact that that comment was harsh.

after that I get this right on my homepage

"You have been banned.
You may NOT post or place in a signature any material that attacks or insults others on the forums; or engages in name-calling, harassment, or threats. Feel free to debate an idea, but do not turn your disagreement into an attack upon the poster or any person or group."

anyone out there think this is uncalled for? I contacted $oe and have not recieved one reply back. un freakin believable

welcome to quality moderation soe style!

Looks a bit extreme...I see worse being said on the forums and they're still posting.  Best idea would be to calmly email starwars@soe.sony.com and explain the situation.

Originally posted by portallzaine

I was banned today from the SWG forums for the most outrageous reason.

Here is the post:

http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=729146

pretty simple post discussing the addition of a V-wing ship in the pilots wheel. the poster basically wanted to know why its in the wheel now and when it will be added to the game.

Valara (community manager) posted this halfway through the thread

"While the V-wing certification was added to the Pilot wheel, it was a bit premature, and it may be removed soon to prevent confusion as the ship is not in game at the moment. Unfortunately that's all the information I can share about the V-wing for now.

On a related note, any posts or threads with images or movies from the game files will be removed from the forum and action may be taken against your forum account. Everyone is welcome to speculate and give feedback, but please keep those images out of it. Thank you!"

I simply posted back quoting Valaras response that I thought it was rediculous that a persons forum account could have action taken against it for posting a picture or talking about an item that is in the actual proffesion wheel. I did not post any images or flame. I just posted the fact that that comment was harsh.

after that I get this right on my homepage

"You have been banned.
You may NOT post or place in a signature any material that attacks or insults others on the forums; or engages in name-calling, harassment, or threats. Feel free to debate an idea, but do not turn your disagreement into an attack upon the poster or any person or group."

anyone out there think this is uncalled for? I contacted $oe and have not recieved one reply back. un freakin believaable

   Well , from one that has felt the full brunt of the Banning powers ( ie Game banning for forum posting)

I am not suprised that  My Buddy , CM Valara wiped out his banning stick  just because you questioned his authority.  But it was not  an attack or insults.  If you are not happy with the lack of reponse from SOE then go to your Station forum account and PM Valara and I ask her for me "Why so(e) Serious?" 

 Valara is 100% wrong for banning your account in forum.  Its this type of over reaction that does not regain Veterans and disways  new  players from the game. SOE keeps forgetting that players like yourself can advise others here and elsewhere of  questionable customer service decisions. 

 While you have her ask the dear lady "Where's the gravy?"

I can kind of relate to this, back in early 2005 when the CU came out, an EQ2 dev made a post saying "the SWG devs warned me of you guys (the hostile community)" which immediately got pages and pages of responses, followed by a Garva "sit down and shut up or quit" post in the Jedi forum which backfired and reached about 10K responses in hours, I was one of the first to flame Garva telling that he was the one being hostile and promptly got a 3 day forum suspension.

I'm sure some of you remember those posts.

A friend of mine played EQ2 for a couple years, he's seen some of that type of forum mod behavior himself.

Hey Jestor do any facts ever come out right?

Here is "him" Valara

Bah dumb forums that would not accept the picture, but anyway you keep saying "him", the community manager is Kelly "Valara" Knox.

A real female.

Facts get some right sometime in your future.

Originally posted by Gutboy

Bah dumb forums that would not accept the picture, but anyway you keep saying "him", the community manager is Kelly "Valara" Knox.

A real female.

Facts get some right sometime in your future.

  Oh So(e) he is a girl ,  That figures , lady CMs love that Jestor!

*snip* - Mod

To the OP: That's a tactic SOE has used very often in the past - it's a bizarre bait and switch.  They did request pictures from the TREs at one point, as Obee said, but somehow you were supposed to know intuitively that they went from requesting those pics to banning for showing them.  If you really care, you could follow Obraik's advice and write a nice, calm, oh-plz-let-me-back-in-your-cool-club email, or you could cancel.  Either way would send a completely different message to SOE, both of which they would ignore.

Originally posted by Kylrathin

If you really care, you could follow Obraik's advice and write a nice, calm, oh-plz-let-me-back-in-your-cool-club email, or you could cancel.  Either way would send a completely different message to SOE, both of which they would ignore.

Sadly, this is true.  They ignored tens of thousands of cancelled accounts and implemented the NGE anyways.

They are arrogant bastards, without the slightest self-awarness or sense of humility.

Originally posted by Gutboy

Bah dumb forums that would not accept the picture, but anyway you keep saying "him", the community manager is Kelly "Valara" Knox.

A real female.

Facts get some right sometime in your future.

if you say so. personally i'm still checking for scars...