Gripe about cheaters on personal quests

[goofy4dizney]

Yeah, Wings, it was unbelievable how low the times got! And if you and pixiebell couldn't beat them, they were definitely SUPERhuman! LOL Thanks for trying, and thanks for all your support, bff!

 

[BriarRosie]

That was my biggest gripe about Yavn's quest. By the time I got to play,
people figured out how to cheat. So my 15-20 finish got my 87th place,
while a finish time of 2 minutes (or less!) got the top spot.

I was incensed that people were so greedy to get inferno that they had to
resort to cheating with mules in order to get it. If they had played an
honest game, finishing in a time that beat mine, I'd be the first person to
congratulate them for a job well done.

That being said, I opened my quest to friends only (and sometimes NOT just
friends when people asked me to open my room up), so some strangers
came to play.

I didn't have a timed quest, and instead of putting a nice prize in for the top
finishers, I gave out 50 sets of "cheap" prizes. (Autopia pin and water
cooler for the first 25, a Haunted Mansion 1/9 and red rope divider for the
bottom 25.) I also gave two "random" (well, deliberately placed by me)
prizes of higher credit items. I place a hippo rug in addition to the other
prizes on Prize #13, and I placed a Haunted Mansion statue on Prize #36.

Someone won my hippos, and I'm thinking it was one of the strangers that
found my room when SOME PEOPLE asked me to open it for their friends. LOL!

Since my prizes have not all been awarded, the next time I open my quest
room the quest will be active.

 

[goofy4dizney]

If they had played an
honest game, finishing in a time that beat mine, I'd be the first person to
congratulate them for a job well done.

Exactly, Briar!

I like your idea of placing better prizes randomly throughout the rankings. May try that next time!

And yes, there WILL be a next time!

 

[hdmonkeybug]

I have a question. This is not necessarily my opinion or is it meant to get anyone angry. I personally agree that people should not be cheating in this way, but isn't the purpose of a mule to allow people to cheat to get more suff and more credits? Just a thought. I have not even done the quests with any other character but my main character. I used a mule to collect credits when I first started, but haven't used one since. I just thought that every one is complaining and I might offer a different point of view.

 

[AlienNation]

Unfortunately, it isn't just the regular players either which makes me even sadder. I went back into Yavn's room being nosey to see the "new" set times to beat after I had my inferno, when what do I see?? A CL_ jumping up and down after his last quest saying how she had "just" won inferno.

 

[BriarRosie]

I have a question. This is not necessarily my opinion or is it meant to get anyone angry. I personally agree that people should not be cheating in this way, but isn't the purpose of a mule to allow people to cheat to get more suff and more credits? Just a thought. I have not even done the quests with any other character but my main character. I used a mule to collect credits when I first started, but haven't used one since. I just thought that every one is complaining and I might offer a different point of view.

There's a gray murky area where mules are concerned. When people created
a mule in the parks, it gave them black Mickey ears and other cool stuff.
I have no problem with that, as it's not affecting anyone else's enjoyment of
the game. I've also used mules in the past to earn fireworks pins for me
and my friends who have problems getting their own.

But when people use mules in the Quests to get faster completion times, I
equate that abuse to a kid in school getting the teacher's answers before
a test to get an A+ on it. In that sense, the mules are negatively affecting
other people's enjoyment of the game. You know that those who completed
the "expert" quest in 2 minutes did NOT do so without having completed
the quest first on another character.

And since the credits have been plentiful for me on Mansion and Fireworks,
I've seen little reason to make a mule account when I've been able to build
my own credit "nest egg" with my own earning power. Also, I've noticed
that I can stop making mules for fireworks pins since my main character
has been able to earn more fireworks pins for getting top scores.
It takes a little while longer, but at least now I can give up the mules.
(Well, unless I need a secret pal character to gift someone in the Zeta
girls program.)

 

[milkabum]

Mules gone bad. It's sad to know that some VMK people are this low.

 

[BriarRosie]

Unfortunately, it isn't just the regular players either which makes me even sadder. I went back into Yavn's room being nosey to see the "new" set times to beat after I had my inferno, when what do I see?? A CL_ jumping up and down after his last quest saying how she had "just" won inferno.

So she was celebrating being one of the players who got the impossible
finish times? How sad that it was a community leader!

 

[MIB Rocks]

I am sticking to the first come first served system when making quests. I also put the prizes randomly, so if you find my quest later, there will still be some cool prizes. I also make last place a good prize.

The average score of my first quest was about 15 minutes. I had the set time where top score gets best prize. I noticed a couple fools named "guest somenumber" finished in two minutes to win the generator and credits. Yes, mules at play.

If I do a set time again, I will make the prizes random. First place won't mean best prize.

 

[cteddiesgirl]

If I do a set time again, I will make the prizes random. First place won't mean best prize.

I think that this may end up being the best way to go.
Whether timed or not, having "better" sparing placed is a really good idea.
Although, I can see problems arising with the non-timed quests. People can stop right before the last task and open the quest info and see what the next prizes to win are. If they don't like the next one up, then they can try to wait until someone else wins that one before finishing to get a better prize.

No matter what we do, there are always going to people who will figure out a way to cheat.

 

[Disney Dreams]

I know that others have come down on me for having this opinion, but the fact is "cheaters" - how ever you want to define them - ruin it for everyone. It is unfair to other players and now it is even un-fair to the creator of the quest.

Do your best. Do it once. Move on to the next. That is the spirit of what it is supposed to be about, right?

 

[The Wolf]

There is a simple way for VMK to stop the quest cheaters.

IP Logging

They do it in their own quests to allow you only one entry per person so why not give that as an option for user made quests?

We know there where cheaters on Due's quests as some questions needed at least a basic knowledge of Dead members and in no way did any of the top names on the list know any of us, so how did they get the fast answer times? As if we didn't know.

I think the ability to change quests part way through wouldn't be too hot an idea as a new trend would arise of people changing prizes part way through and only giving out prizes when their friends where winning.

The quests have some teething troubles but I would say if you are going to offer highly desirable prizes at the moment limit your quests to friends only.

 

[VirtuallyMe]

There is a simple way for VMK to stop the quest cheaters.

IP Logging

They do it in their own quests to allow you only one entry per person so why not give that as an option for user made quests?

<SNIP>
The quests have some teething troubles but I would say if you are going to offer highly desirable prizes at the moment limit your quests to friends only.

Do they really log IPs to prevent you from repeating the quest? Because wouldn't that mean that if my I did the quest then no one else with my IP address (computer) could do the same quest- and that isn't so- because I did VMK quests for both my kids on my computer- (well dd can still do animation and mickeys on her own- she's old enough for that lol)

Yeah- and friends only may have to be the thing- or have people register here with vmk names and put a turnstile at the door- lol that would be a pain and then some... but it would work for DIS members not on your friends list.

I like the randomly placed good prizes- that way you really can't tell what they are doing- and

I think I recall reading someone say- well they will just check the quest prize list and wait to finish to make sure they can win the good prize- well for that have them have a final task with a time limit- a short one- that would make that less doable...

 

[goofy4dizney]

I'm definitely going to try the randomly placed good prizes in my next quest. We'll see how that works out!

 

[Pixiebell]

Personally, I'm not playing the quests for prizes, I just like to see my name up in lights!!!

Wherever possible, if I have come in first, I will go back to the owner and trade the prizes back, so they can use them for another quest

 

[goofy4dizney]

Personally, I'm not playing the quests for prizes, I just like to see my name up in lights!!!

Wherever possible, if I have come in first, I will go back to the owner and trade the prizes back, so they can use them for another quest

Pix, If I had your creative skills in PSP, I would do this right, but this is the best I can manage:



PIXIEBELL



I will say that somebody playing a mule did come back the second day (before this post), and said the same thing. He returned the prize that he won in my first quest, saying that he just liked playing and seeing how fast he can be!