Blessings in Disguise: A Short Talk on Bugs and Exploits
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist
MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) players are competitive by nature, be it PVP or PVE. There will always be an amount of pride rendered for how strong or able your character is. Epic Gear, Socket Gems, Cooler Mounts, Jet Packs, Everyone will do almost anything to acquire these things. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be strong really; however, it is also the same drive that makes people take the easy way out.
Yes my friends, this is why bugs are being exploited throughout the genre, may it be in MMOFPS (Massively Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter) or in your average everyday RPGs (Role Playing Games). There are various ways to gain the upper hand without having to grind for more cash or resort to gold farmers. Item Duplication, Bugged Walls, you name it!
MMOFPS Bugs
Advantages: like there’s none lol
We managed to get an interview with a bug exploiter who would rather go by the name of Sohee to avoid being spotted by our GM readers. According to him, bug exploitation requires skill (really now?) and can only work to a player’s advantage if he uses it correctly.
OnRPG: So you’ve been using bugs for how long?
Sohee: Years! 6 years to be exact.
OnRPG: That’s an awfully long time of bug exploitation. And you say you’ve never been caught?
Sohee: Not really. There are times when the GMs suspended my account for it. Sometimes I get banned for it, but it’s really easy to create another one.
OnRPG: You’re aware that you are indeed cheating right?
Sohee: Everyone’s doing it, so why go slow when everyone’s moving fast?
Sohee never really admitted that he was cheating; instead, he pointed out that bug exploitation has become one of the most common features in almost every MMO. The current players don’t mind it and some even claim it to be a form of strategy especially in PVP (Player vs. Player). Sohee also earns a lot of money by duplicating items, then selling them at a cheaper price.
It makes me GOD
Unlike some bugs, there are those that tend to completely destroy the experience for most players instead of just giving the bug exploiter a certain advantage. Accompanying us through this form of bug exploitation is someone who prefers to hide under the name of Danaster. Danaster has been playing MMOs for a very long time, doing PVE (Player vs. Environment) and PVP day and night to further boost his character’s capabilities. In his game, all three races fight an all out war three times a day to boost their economy. Unfortunately for a certain race, there’s a bug that disconnects everyone from that race when the skill is executed. The bug is executed through a game command, which you then accompany with certain keys to cut the weapon animation. This by far was one of the game’s biggest problems, disconnecting a certain race from the war thus turning it into a 1 on 1 death match instead of a 3-way brawl.
OnRPG: So, why did you do it?
Danaster: Gives us the upper advantage! You can’t deny that the rewards gained upon winning that war is worth cheating for.
OnRPG: so you admit that you guys were cheating?
Danaster: not our race, not our fault.
The bug used to be more on the aesthetic side with no given advantages whatsoever. Since the faulty race was a formidable enemy, the other races would continue to spam that skill to prevent them from reconnecting. In this case, Danaster was not the only one who was doing it, for the other races are also doing their best to knock the bugged players out of the game. The game suffered a tremendous loss of its player base after a week of bugged events, and according to the other races, it’s just right that that certain race was nerfed due to their overpowered character builds.
PVE too? Preposterous!
PVP isn’t the only thing that’s ruined by bugs. Believe it or not, PVE bugs are also being exploited in order to make things easier for guilds to get their Godlike gear. Lance has been gracious enough to provide us with information as to how big of an advantage the PVE bugs bring.
Using Bugs on Bosses
Boss fights— perhaps one of the biggest problems of PVE lovers worldwide. Bosses are designed to be hard, dropping a decent amount of gear and experience upon defeat. One thing about them is that you won’t be facing these bosses once in a lifetime. Lance has played MMOs for a very long time and is familiar with a good number of bugs that help him conquer obstacles without breaking a sweat.
OnRPG: So why do you do this again?
Lance: You mean over buffs and boss bugs? We make sure that it doesn’t only save us time, but effort too :P.
OnRPG: Doesn’t it ruin the experience?
Lance: No, not really! We see it as a blessing in disguise lol. Besides, there’s still real life to deal with. It makes it a lot easier with these bugs.
OnRPG: LOL
The verdict
Bug exploitation has become a legal feature in the eyes of the players, and although it’s illegal in every way, players will keep enjoying its benefit unless they are at the receiving end of things. People enjoy the benefit of bugs but hate being targeted by them. Normally, I would hear trash talk like “Bug F*g” or “Cheater” in the internet cafes (where most players play) but will immediately be followed by doing their own share of bug exploits. Are the games really that hard? Or are players just not prepared to face them? For the record, I have also been the victim of the disconnecting bug stated earlier. It’s not really fair that they have a HUGE advantage over other players, but as long as bugs exist, players will continue to milk them until they are dealt with. Now let me ask you…
Is it really that bad? Or is it (as they described) a blessing in disguise?
