Is the Zoomunlocker Program Safe or Not

#1 - May 15, 2013, 10:23 a.m.

First off I feel I have to say that I know there’s an official thread about third party programs, but I feel that it not only leaves a grey area but also doesn’t specify what is considered a ‘bad’ program because you could argue that changing the ingame font is an unfair advantage because the person would like the font he chose and be in a happier more relaxed mood when playing compared to someone who hated the font – although then that means anyone who likes the default font will be at an advantage, and those who hate it will be at a disadvantage.

Now I have that out of the way, will Zoomunlocker get me banned? And I mean straight banned, or will I get a warning first? Honestly I would be very unimpressed if I did with the amount of personal time I’ve spent reporting bots when one admin per server could sort it all out instead of relying on your customers to do it. I don’t PVP, I only PVE, and the pathetic zoom out options are almost worse than Lineage 2 – but the main aspect of it is being able to be in first person and ANet apparently are against first person because they want you to see your character all the time so you connect with it more or something, but isn’t going into the eyes of your character making more of a connection? Pathetic excuse just like the pathetic zoom options that only zoom out further when the game says so.

It would be great to see an official reply, although if I do see a reply with the same recycled response I’ll be letting you know what I think.

Thanks,
Lister.

Gaile Gray

#4 - May 15, 2013, 1:16 p.m.

Let me answer this as a player:

Consider PvP: Being able to zoom out farther than your opponent seems a definite advantage. If a PvP player can see the entire map, he/she certainly knows more, and can react differently, than those playing the game as intended (who cannot view the entire map through normal processes).

The advantage-giving provision of the program is a concern to me, as a player, as it seems clearly prohibited by the policy. " Our general policy is that anything that gives advantage is forbidden; anything that imbalances the game in favor of one player over another is strictly disallowed."

Gaile Gray

#9 - May 15, 2013, 6:27 p.m.

Lister.5678:
Gaile Gray.6028:
Let me answer this as a player:

Consider PvP: Being able to zoom out farther than your opponent seems a definite advantage. If a PvP player can see the entire map, he/she certainly knows more, and can react differently, than those playing the game as intended (who cannot view the entire map through normal processes).

The advantage-giving provision of the program is a concern to me, as a player, as it seems clearly prohibited by the policy. " Our general policy is that anything that gives advantage is forbidden; anything that imbalances the game in favor of one player over another is strictly disallowed."

As I said I don’t PVP – with the exception of checking what the monthly rewards were and the xmas snow event – so I’m more than likely going to make the call that it’s a “benign” program like they officially state to do, I would not be breaking the tos with how I play the game and records would show that. Quickly off the top of my head this is the sort of scenario I could refer it to: If there are overpowered skills for a certain class after a patch, should the servers be shut down because a certain class might – emphasis on might – take advantage of it?

On the lines of what the person after you said, why an option to increase the max camera zoom-out to “big boss” distance in the world is beyond me, especially in a game that promotes you play it how you want to play it. Anyway, thank you to all those who responded to the thread.

Let’s look at a scenario: Say there are detection systems that ascertain you are using a specific third-party program that is known to give players an advantage. Do you think that we would go through your entire gameplay history to see “This person does not play PvP, so the program is not giving him/her any advantage, so therefore his using it is acceptable?” I am sure when you read that, you’ll realize that to do so would be incredibly time-consuming and an unrealistic expectation on the part of any player.

The question isn’t whether the program gave you an advantage through potentially thousands of hours of gameplay. The question is whether the program gives an advantage to users. And the answer to that, in my original scenario, is “yes.” Yes, this program allows players to see more than other players, and even in PvE, having a wider field of view allows you to predict mob movements, assess and anticipate your next battle, etc.

I don’t think you should decide “Well, in my use this is ok” so much as assess “This program could be used for advantage, and I therefore will give it a wide berth.”

Gaile Gray

#39 - July 14, 2014, 5:23 p.m.

As simply as possible: We cannot read intentions and we’re not going to spend time researching to see if certain players don’t do X, therefore their use of Y is A-OK. And if we did, what’s to say what would happen tomorrow?

The policy is clear, and it’s clear so that there is no “gray area” or areas of reasonable doubt or confusion. I take on board that not all players agree with policy, just as I also take on board — perhaps more clearly than anyone — why the policy exists as it does.

The question having been answered — a few times — we’ll close this thread with thanks for those who tried to explain the reasoning behind the policy.