Here is my proposed solution to the quest prize issues. Fair warning: I completed the quest entirely on my own, including mini-games and trivia. So if you detect a bit of bias, please try to understand where I'm coming from.
Before ANYTHING else, admins need to definitively state in the rules that it is either allowed or not allowed for people to play mini-games for other players when completing a quest. People want consistent rules when going into a quest, especially with a quest as lengthy as this one. Tweet the new rule, add it to the official rules page, and enforce it for future quests. As Dep suggested in the discord, all future quests could start with a task that requires players to say “I understand and will follow all rules during the completion of this quest.”
Obviously this whole situation turned ugly very quickly, and could have been avoided entirely with more open communication from admins. Some players may find my suggestions harsh. But I hope the community takes some time to reflect on this situation as a whole. The people who talk the loudest aren’t always right. We cannot justify cheating in this game for the purpose of wealth and greed. I totally get that it’s not explicitly stated in the rules and it hasn’t been enforced in the past, so I understand the source of all the frustration. I just hope that everyone will follow your moral compass and consider all points of view with an open mind. Thanks for reading.
Before ANYTHING else, admins need to definitively state in the rules that it is either allowed or not allowed for people to play mini-games for other players when completing a quest. People want consistent rules when going into a quest, especially with a quest as lengthy as this one. Tweet the new rule, add it to the official rules page, and enforce it for future quests. As Dep suggested in the discord, all future quests could start with a task that requires players to say “I understand and will follow all rules during the completion of this quest.”
If admins decide that playing mini-games for other players is NOT cheating, then return all prizes and trades that were made. Make the item tradable again. However, I’m personally very against this. I worked extremely hard to win the quest fairly and it sucks to see people who didn’t put in the same amount of effort receive a prize worth one million credits(?!). This option also sucks for people who actually attempted the quest without cheating and could have in theory had someone finish the last task for them (i.e. Neocissa, JustForFun). In addition, deciding this ISN’T cheating would potentially open a huge array of problems in the future, so consider this option with caution.
If admins decide that it IS cheating, then I have some suggestions listed below on how to proceed with the implementation of the new rule.
1. If a player completed the quest on their own and DID NOT have someone log into their account to complete mini-games, return their prizes. This includes the players like Extreme and Light. Give them a slap on the wrist and tell them from now on, it’s against the rules.
2. If a player completed the quest by having someone log onto their account to complete mini-games, revoke the prizes.
3. If any player purchased the prize from someone who completed the quest fairly, then that trade is valid and should not be affected.
4. If any player purchased the prize from someone who did NOT complete the quest fairly, then the trade should be reversed entirely.
This next item listed is an option I would be open to, speaking as someone who actually completed the quest, but is entirely optional and up for debate.
5. Re-open and reset the quest for those who haven’t completed it AND for those players who were originally caught cheating. Reinforce the new rule. Unfortunately, this would leave Neocissa, LethalPancake, and JustForFun on the butt-end of the deal. Perhaps those who made it to task 99 could be looked at on a case by case basis to ensure they progressed fairly, and then they can start at task 99 again once the quest re-opens?
1. If a player completed the quest on their own and DID NOT have someone log into their account to complete mini-games, return their prizes. This includes the players like Extreme and Light. Give them a slap on the wrist and tell them from now on, it’s against the rules.
2. If a player completed the quest by having someone log onto their account to complete mini-games, revoke the prizes.
3. If any player purchased the prize from someone who completed the quest fairly, then that trade is valid and should not be affected.
4. If any player purchased the prize from someone who did NOT complete the quest fairly, then the trade should be reversed entirely.
This next item listed is an option I would be open to, speaking as someone who actually completed the quest, but is entirely optional and up for debate.
5. Re-open and reset the quest for those who haven’t completed it AND for those players who were originally caught cheating. Reinforce the new rule. Unfortunately, this would leave Neocissa, LethalPancake, and JustForFun on the butt-end of the deal. Perhaps those who made it to task 99 could be looked at on a case by case basis to ensure they progressed fairly, and then they can start at task 99 again once the quest re-opens?
Obviously this whole situation turned ugly very quickly, and could have been avoided entirely with more open communication from admins. Some players may find my suggestions harsh. But I hope the community takes some time to reflect on this situation as a whole. The people who talk the loudest aren’t always right. We cannot justify cheating in this game for the purpose of wealth and greed. I totally get that it’s not explicitly stated in the rules and it hasn’t been enforced in the past, so I understand the source of all the frustration. I just hope that everyone will follow your moral compass and consider all points of view with an open mind. Thanks for reading.
