[Illuen]

Special Task Force Announcement (01/29/2009)
As was announced in last month's Special Task Force Report, the format through which we deliver news to you regarding our activities has been renewed. From this day onwards, information such as the total number of banned accounts for the previous month will be available for your perusal at the Special Task Force's very own homepage.

Click here to learn more about these changes.
Click here to access the newly inaugurated Special Task Force Official Homepage.
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Special Task Force Announcement (01/29/2009)

The Special Task Force (henceforth, STF) was founded at a time when a rising number of characters could be observed engaging in illegal conduct. The presence of these characters adversely affected gameplay, threatening to undermine the enjoyment of the game for the honest, rule-abiding majority.

With the invaluable information provided to us from our players, the STF was able to formulate myriad countermeasures with which to eradicate illegal conduct from Vana'diel. To ensure that the STF never ceases to represent the best interests of upstanding adventurers, the Special Task Force Report was made available on a monthly basis to keep all informed of our latest activities, and to serve as a channel through which players could contact us.

Thanks in no small part to the contributions of our virtuous players, the activities of the STF have largely been met with success. Each passing season has marked an appreciable decline in the number of sightings of illegal conduct being brought to our attention. More than ever before, players can embark on their adventures with the confidence that their time spent in Vana'diel will not be marred by unpleasant encounters with illegal conduct.

However, the effort to maintain a balanced and enjoyable game environment is a never-ending endeavor, and we at the STF intend to remain ever vigilant.

For the sake of convenience, until now the "mass bannings" format for reporting STF activities has been left unchanged despite the improvements that have been implemented over the years. As our players are likely already aware, advancements made in policing technology have greatly shortened the time interval between detection and intervention. With the resultant increase in transparency in the activities of the STF, it was decided that announcements made via the newly established STF homepage will be limited to the number of banned accounts and amount of frozen gil.

At the STF, our sole mission is to preserve the integrity of Van'diel as a fun and balanced gaming world. We look forward to your continued assistance in our endeavors in the years to come.

Click here to access the newly inaugurated Special Task Force Official Homepage.
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Banned Accounts and Frozen Gil
12/23/2008 - 1/27/2009 7,210 accounts banned, with Approx. 1.5 billion gil removed!

[Balfree]

Don't mess with these guys



HAHA!

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

You has been banzored.

No can has cheeseburger.

No soup for joo!

[Feba]

Did they just make a diagram showing how much crying getting banned will cause us to go through?

[Balfree]

Yes and I'm sure they had a fun times adding the photoshop tears.

[Durahansolo]

Originally Posted by Omgwtfbbqkitten

You has been banzored.

No can has cheeseburger.

No soup for joo!

Go straight to Mordiongaol

Do not pass Mule Alley

Do not collect 200g

[aegina]

I feel like the slow kid for asking, but what exactly did they change?

[Ellipses]

Originally Posted by aegina

I feel like the slow kid for asking, but what exactly did they change?

Look at the level of detail available in this thread and the announcements it links to, compared to the level of detail given in this current report.

[Balfree]

The format through which they deliver news to us regarding their activities has been renewed.

[aegina]

Originally Posted by Ellipses

Look at the level of detail available in this thread and the announcements it links to, compared to the level of detail given in this current report.

So, the'ye giving us LESS information?

All they have in the new version is one line saying "Yeah, we banned some people. No info why or what they were doing." How is that an improvement?

[Ellipses]

Originally Posted by aegina

So, the'ye giving us LESS information?

All they have in the new version is one line saying "Yeah, we banned some people. No info why or what they were doing." How is that an improvement?

I think they're being careful not to claim that it's an improvement.

Originally Posted by Illuen

For the sake of convenience, until now the "mass bannings" format for reporting STF activities has been left unchanged despite the improvements that have been implemented over the years. As our players are likely already aware, advancements made in policing technology have greatly shortened the time interval between detection and intervention. With the resultant increase in transparency in the activities of the STF, it was decided that announcements made via the newly established STF homepage will be limited to the number of banned accounts and amount of frozen gil.

"It was determined." "Mistakes were made." Nowhere in there do they say that this is better.

They're saying they're worried about the transparency brought on by quick turn-around times and detailed banning reports making RMT etc. more savvy, and thus harder to catch.

[Elwynn]

Originally Posted by Ellipses

They're saying they're worried about the transparency brought on by quick turn-around times and detailed banning reports making RMT etc. more savvy, and thus harder to catch.

It is also possible that they've started mass bannings for new things, like teleport bots, and they don't want to give RMT confirmation of such. At the very least, the infamous Jeuno telebot on my server has been gone for nearly a week now.

[LyonheartLakshmi]

Originally Posted by aegina

So, the'ye giving us LESS information?

All they have in the new version is one line saying "Yeah, we banned some people. No info why or what they were doing." How is that an improvement?

It's an improvement for those who have to spend the time gathering, formatting and posting the information.

They're still posting the total number of accounts banned, and the total gil removed from the system. Do you really need to know the exact break down of the types of violations and a week-by-week break down?

[aegina]

Originally Posted by LyonheartLakshmi

...Do you really need to know the exact break down of the types of violations and a week-by-week break down?

Technically, we don't need to know, but I liked seeing them explain, in detail, what they are doing. I wish they would do things like that more often.

[Ameroth]

Originally Posted by LyonheartLakshmi

Do you really need to know the exact break down of the types of violations and a week-by-week break down?

Uhh yes. Or no one would have even bothered to open this topic in the first place.