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  • Official Statement Regarding H.O.D Gaming and Game Exploits

    Providing a fair, fun, and safe environment for everyone is something we take very seriously here at Wildcard.  Building an enforcement team was the first step to making sure that people can enjoy ARK without fear of cheating.  Since the introduction of the enforcement team, we've noticed a considerable improvement in the overall quality of life of those playing on our official servers. In severe situations, like someone meshing or duping or spreading information related to such, our first instinct is to try and take action with the intention of preserving the integrity of our official server network.  

    When someone is banned as a result of our Code of Conduct, there is an appeal process that allows for a fair review of the situation. There are always two sides to every story and we want to remain impartial and hear both. Any issue that violates our Code of Conduct is subject to a fair appeal process. When things land in the gray area, our first instinct is to do whatever is in our power to prevent abuse. Upon further review of the situation involving H.O.D Gaming, we felt that it was not deserving of a permanent ban. Videos showing exploit techniques are admittedly a gray area when it comes to enforcement, which is just one of the reasons why the appeal process exists for bans.

    Several changes each patch are aimed at fixing exploits but the methods that are used are continually evolving; as such, we are always trying to improve our procedures when it comes to situations that affect the player-base.  We use these situations to take a look at our internal process and identify areas where we can do better or provide more clarification.

    There are established methods for escalating exploits to the development team that exist to prevent the spread of information to the general public.  The more widely known an exploit is, the more likely it is to be exploited. In these instances you should file your report on the SurviveTheARK website.  You can find the link to report abuse or bugs under the support header.

    We want to make sure that everyone can enjoy their experience on our official network and will continue to take exploit matters seriously.  As always, we value community feedback and encourage you to share it with us. Thanks for your continued support and passion for the game!

     

    Team Wildcard

    Edited by Cedric


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    I’d like to know more about the “killzones.” Are these instant kill, or have they experimented with time-based? 

     

    A lot of the problem is that procedurally generated maps are difficult to go through and find all the holes, and by nature they are going to procedurally generate holes. I know people really want absolute fixes, but that would literally require rebuilding the maps, or at least a great part of them.

     

    I’m wondering if they could add something on the player side to help with this issue. A while back, I was playing around with a thought experiment on how a trail camera could be worked into the game. It seems some of the mechanics necessary are already employed, such as the parasaur’s enemy detection. Instead of focusing so much on fixing holes, what is the feasibility of having a device that captures and records player actions and movements? I don’t mean something as complex as actual video or photos, but rather a time stamped capture of a player location, elevation, coordinations, etc. that would create a record of who, when and where a meshing incident may have occurred. 

     

    Just riffing...

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    **slightly off topic but needs saying***

    Meshing is an issue, but right NOW, my server's biggest issue is since the last update our server is basically unplayable. 

    Homestead has ruined NA 341 people don't even want to log in because we can't raise dinos or tame or even walk down the beach

    without huge rubber banding, disconnects and extra lengthy server save times. 

    Most of the senior players on the server report this constantly and still nothing is done.

     

    I've worked for a game company in the past for several years. I've been a gamer even longer.  Having played games from Most if not

    ALL of the major companies. I do love ark but your support and repair, fixes etc are truly the WORST I have EVER seen.

    The fact meshing is still an issue this long is just a sad thing. ** they're working on it**  ...... that's WC for we don't care.

    Or our server wouldn't be basically unplayable after almost 3 weeks! we get a bonus on the weekends, so what?? we can't USE it!!

    I am also very glad they unbanned H.O.D Gaming, as it was unfair to start with. Ban mallet at it's finest.

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    “There are established methods for escalating exploits to the development team that exist to prevent the spread of information to the general public.  The more widely known an exploit is, the more likely it is to be exploited. In these instances you should file your report on the SurviveTheARK website.  You can find the link to report abuse or bugs under the support header.”

     

    Lol you guys make me laugh , yep cause that works.  Can you also release an official statement that says your support team , your enforcement team , is a joke? Cause if you ever want an actual true statement that would be it  

     

     

    Edited by Cptmor9anprestige

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    41 minutes ago, Sativa420 said:

    **slightly off topic but needs saying***

    Meshing is an issue, but right NOW, my server's biggest issue is since the last update our server is basically unplayable. 

    Homestead has ruined NA 341 people don't even want to log in because we can't raise dinos or tame or even walk down the beach

    without huge rubber banding, disconnects and extra lengthy server save times. 

    Most of the senior players on the server report this constantly and still nothing is done.

     

    I've worked for a game company in the past for several years. I've been a gamer even longer.  Having played games from Most if not

    ALL of the major companies. I do love ark but your support and repair, fixes etc are truly the WORST I have EVER seen.

    The fact meshing is still an issue this long is just a sad thing. ** they're working on it**  ...... that's WC for we don't care.

    Or our server wouldn't be basically unplayable after almost 3 weeks! we get a bonus on the weekends, so what?? we can't USE it!!

    I am also very glad they unbanned H.O.D Gaming, as it was unfair to start with. Ban mallet at it's finest.

     

    I think it’s actually on topic. A major part of the discussion has to do with priority.

    I’ve noticed a decline in players on just about every server I play on since the last two updates for many of the reasons you mentioned. The performance has gotten worse and there’s been a lot of focus on adding new features, but not as much on fixing long existing problems. 

     

    I don’t know why WC keeps ignoring the community and adding new things when improvements in performance would do wonders for their reputation. I am fully convinced if they would stop adding features for a while and focus exclusively on maintenance, it would entice more people to play, and as a result an uptick in DLC purchases. 

     

    There are always going to be complainers. Not everyone can be happy at the same time, but it’s not so hard to figure out the difference between nihilism and frustration, by being a listener. There’s always going to be a group of people that use late progress as an excuse to criticize, but I think the majority of the Ark community would really appreciate an update or two that just simply fixed problems. Like that should be the priority; fix as many problems as they can without tackling so many one is neglected for another. Pick an issue, work through it and move to the next when a solution for the first is achieved. If they want to raise revenue, how about some more skins? 

     

    I wouldn’t mind if they added some skin packs to facilitate role play, and selling some armor and weapon skins sounds like a fair source of revenue to fund maintenance, if you ask me. I just wonder what’s going on over there. Yeah, we wanted S+ on console like a year ago, but we’ve wanted less lag and fewer disconnects for 2 years.

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    Maybe fix meshing and exploits then u wont have to ban people for showing them? Thats a pretty good idea dont u think??

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    Guest BubbaCrawfish

    Posted

    9 hours ago, NameCannotBeBlank32 said:

    people that would dos other players on our server

    That's actually near impossible to be doing that to players, that'll be why you aren't being taken seriously in some shape or form.

    To actually get someone DDoSed, the attacker would need to know their IP, and because they won't have that, it'll be an empty threat. The only way they'd end up with that, is if they put up a link in chat that people copied out to go to, that was insecure and they got the IP from the connection that was made due to this.

    If they're attacking the server, that's another story.

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    Never had to wait more then 4 days if I made a ticket. It’s not easy to fix this mesh problems that’s why it’s not fixed. People on YouTube don’t show vids about meshing because they care about the game. They show vids like this because of subs and likes. 

    Yes wildcard have to fu**ing fix this but it takes time. Since atlas release ark is getting better they are faster in patch something then ever before! They respond to tickets faster then ever the same for wiping mesh bases. 

    I don’t care if there are a few people out there know to exploit. Because exploits are in ANY game. But I care when BIG youtubers scream out to every kid on this world how to ruin this game! 

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    he did it to show you guys and fix these spots i was meshed a few days ago on center ice cave because you never fix the same mesh spot since legacy i didnt lose anything cause mesher had no brain but damn  the game is having a bad time and these mesh spots make ppl run away from it and we dont want that wildcard ...

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    1 minute ago, eeHerbalist said:

    he did it to show you guys and fix these spots i was meshed a few days ago on center ice cave because you never fix the same mesh spot since legacy i didnt lose anything cause mesher had no brain but damn  the game is having a bad time and these mesh spots make ppl run away from it and we dont want that wildcard ...

    And now even more people know how to mesh. It’s the same like show how to print excellent money at home on primetime lol Exploits will always be there but it will destroy the game if everyone know how to do it. In case of something you can’t stop (exploits the same like real organized criminal) you have to reduce damage. And youtubers like Hod don’t help.  

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    Literally the whole pvp community: Let's fix meshing and make this game better! Also, here are dozens of easy ways to do it that won't break the game

    Ark devs:

    323040518_meme2.thumb.JPG.6a039f7eb22df2c9360a46e0876c7250.JPG

    Edited by 123123123123

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    So they got unbanned because of their subscription popularity? #freeHOD my ass, honestly. Hell, they just gave a tutorial on how to mesh... I was not even aware on how to use this as an exploit before seeing their videos... IMO I find this ridiculous, that they get a pass just because of their popularity? When they clearly gave a tutorial on how to mesh exploit. Finding flaws in a game and reporting it is one thing. However publicly showing how its done is another story. I still feel a ban was warranted under does conditions.

     

    Results:

     

    • HOD gaming gets more subscribers. More cash revenue for their youtube exploits.

      Never heard of HOD prior of this thing...

       

    • You get a pass if your popular.

     

    In the end IMO HOD should have reported this in more of a respectful way to WC.

    Yes it was known issue, however that beeing sayd, its not because its a known issue that you are allowed to publicly show how its done. Literally giving a tutorial on how its done, IMO that's a big no no.

     

    They have a free pass now... I’m so surprise on how this is going down and I’m not supporting HOD endeavours. Because this is wrong, don't care about how much users you have under your belt.

     

    HOD might want to start by deleting their “how to meshing” videos...

     

    That's my 2 cents.

    Edited by MooseX
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    8I got one for ya. Here ss of a abusive player on my server his name is ||||||||||||| his insomniac inc. Well I can't reduce the photo size enough but he's telling me to SS this di$k

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    Guest EnergyDrink

    Posted

    It's a sad day to see you WildCard responding to criticism in this way. You might need to press some brakes and see yourself in the mirror.

    Thousands of people are not happy, its all your fault. Nobody elses. Bugs, crashes, mesh problems, exploits.

    Very dissapointed. I expext more from WC.

    I have had myself so many problems like...

    *dinos under-mesh ( aberation red zone for example. Can 100% replicate). And then dying cause your GM comes after 3 weeks..

    *Baby dinos dying cause server keeps crashing.

    *People lose characters and then they lose their bases cause you dont reply in time and everything decays.

    These problems could be solved with better HelpDesk admins and fixing up meshing exploits...

     

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    Him and all like him should be banned. If people were robbing people in real life, and you made a video about how they are getting away with it by robbing people yourself, your going to jail. There is no grey in this.

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    14 minutes ago, Mercurymon said:

    Him and all like him should be banned. If people were robbing people in real life, and you made a video about how they are getting away with it by robbing people yourself, your going to jail. There is no grey in this.

    He stompped around outside my base on rag 304 for 15 mins cussing. Along with his other buddy ,who is a piece of somthing else he asked a younger player what she looked like in real life. He's 30 she's 13.like what do u do?

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    I don't see how this was an exploit in the first place, at worst he was forcing your hand to try and fix a major problem- which is what good qa people and codemonkeys do. They poke, they prod, and they come back with a busted mess and some ideas how to fix it. That's not someone you ban, that's someone you hire.

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    Guest BubbaCrawfish

    Posted

    3 hours ago, Tokes89 said:

    |||||||||||||

    That likely means his steam name is odd characters, also that dude likely wasn't replying to you, he was likely meaning about HOD Gaming and the topic at hand.

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    Guest BubbaCrawfish

    Posted (edited)

    6 minutes ago, basilmemories said:

    I don't see how this was an exploit in the first place, at worst he was forcing your hand to try and fix a major problem- which is what good qa people and codemonkeys do. They poke, they prod, and they come back with a busted mess and some ideas how to fix it. That's not someone you ban, that's someone you hire.

    That's not what QA is at all... It's what testers do. There's a big difference between QA and simple testing. QA is testing the actual product before it goes live to make sure it's actually working. Such as when the devs check that version to make sure there's no bugs in it such as that it doesn't work on certain operating systems, or that programs don't conflict.

    Normal testing, and reporting, is different to this.

    Now, if you knew a Windows exploit, and released it publicly like this without notifying Microsoft, you're not forcing Microsoft to do anything, you're distributing the exploit and showing others how to do it, and in the process leaving millions of people at risk of that exploit.

    You report it in the correct manner, not turn around and open it up to the world so JUST IN CASE that they CANNOT fix it, you don't make every person vulnerable by your stupidity.

    Seriously, if you're that mindless that you can't think about anyone other than yourself and your urge to have something fixed, then you really have no place in "QA", or testing for that matter.

     

    Follow the recommended ways, or just don't even bother. You distribute the information and you're just making it worse if you do what HOD did.

    Edited by BubbaCrawfish

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    2 hours ago, BubbaCrawfish said:

    That's not what QA is at all... It's what testers do. There's a big difference between QA and simple testing. QA is testing the actual product before it goes live to make sure it's actually working. Such as when the devs check that version to make sure there's no bugs in it such as that it doesn't work on certain operating systems, or that programs don't conflict.

    Normal testing, and reporting, is different to this.

    Now, if you knew a Windows exploit, and released it publicly like this without notifying Microsoft, you're not forcing Microsoft to do anything, you're distributing the exploit and showing others how to do it, and in the process leaving millions of people at risk of that exploit.

    You report it in the correct manner, not turn around and open it up to the world so JUST IN CASE that they CANNOT fix it, you don't make every person vulnerable by your stupidity.

    Seriously, if you're that mindless that you can't think about anyone other than yourself and your urge to have something fixed, then you really have no place in "QA", or testing for that matter.

     

    Follow the recommended ways, or just don't even bother. You distribute the information and you're just making it worse if you do what HOD did.

    The biggest difference between reporting an exploitable hole to Microsoft and reporting to Studio WildCard is that at least the Microsoft team will listen, primarilly because Microsoft is a HUGE company and they don't want to lose their consumer base to their competators. WildCard doesn't even do that, or if they do they take months to act on it. I mean, you guys see the majority of the posts here: people have been reporting exploiters FOR YEARS, and instead of getting the promised global ban those cheaters get a warning. And what is worse, this has made players try to think of ways to prevent their bases being destroyed by mesh monkeys (yes I am gonna use that term), to no avail. They STILL got meshed, OR their bases get dev wiped because the players that don't want to get meshed have built in "unintended areas", not knowing that said area was not intended to be built in.

     

    So really, the fastest way to bring this issue up is, seemingly, to make videos on this. Besides, if you actually LOOKED at his video, you will see that he used clips made by other youtubers exposing all of this.

    Edited by Sosinchen
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    I think WC was spot on with their first reaction and soft with the second. Not just soft, but set a very bad precedent.

     

    Ced, can I appeal HOD's appeal? You've never seen a hive with more scum and villainy as with youtubers. WC doesn't need their ilk around here.

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    Guest BubbaCrawfish

    Posted (edited)

    1 hour ago, Sosinchen said:

    So really, the fastest way to bring this issue up is, seemingly, to make videos on this. Besides, if you actually LOOKED at his video, you will see that he used clips made by other youtubers exposing all of this.

    Maybe you didn't watch his 'how-to' video... All of these excuses don't counter the fact that he's done it for views, subscribers, and for attention...

    Really the whole thing reeks of self-importance, and the excusing of it shows that you don't care about anyone else, as long as it gets fixed.

    There's ONE thing you continue to ignore... What if it CANNOT be fixed, and by publicizing it, you are doing MORE damage...

    Fact is there are appropriate avenues to follow. If you do not follow the correct avenues, then you are making an issue, not resolving it.

    As I said, maybe you want to look at those other videos, as they are totally not anyone elses videos than his own. Hell, he even shows you where his bases are, and there are various ones that are under the mesh, AKA, he looks into a rock face, saying 'There's my base there', stating that 'it's not under the mesh' yet thing is, when he's in there, you can plainly see OUT THROUGH THE ROCK.

    Willful ignorance, just shows how willing you are to ignore the facts. Stop ignoring this, as it's dangerous, and reckless.

    "Microsoft is a HUGE company and they don't want to lose their consumer base to their competators." And this, is factually incorrect...

    They have CONTRACTS with various GOVERNMENTS... If those exploits are exposed, they are exposed to ending up with a serious loss, not in consumers, and not in revenue, but in actual compensations and reputation.

    https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-zero-day-vulnerability-disclosed-through-twitter/

    You have to wonder how fast they moved on this user, to make it clear that they needed to stop doing this sort of thing, to get them to delete their tweet regarding the exploit.

    I'm sure you'd find yourself at the end of a legal phone call from Microsoft if you did the same thing, and ended up making a considerable portion of their userbase, exposed...

    Edited by BubbaCrawfish

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    I went back over the Code of conduct and closest HOD Gaming came to a bannable offense was Hack Related Chat. 

    Hack related chat

    There should be no discussions in game or on our official sites regarding hacks, including access to cheats, where you can acquire them, or how they are utilized.

     

    Is Youtube.com an official Studio Wildcard site now?

     

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