ForumsSupport Forum[ANSWERED] Why is "sockpuppeting" considered a ban?

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shock457
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shock457
708 posts
Shepherd

I got banned for using my other account for commenting on my Shock account. I wonder what is wrong with that. I even got banned for 3 days!

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shock457
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shock457
708 posts
Shepherd

I know how the Forums works. Giving advice, helping the community, and giving suggestions. But it sometimes gets ways out of hand. It soon turns into debates.

Kasic
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Kasic
5,552 posts
Jester

I know how the Forums works. Giving advice, helping the community, and giving suggestions.


Don't forget learning on the asker's part. If the person who has a problem refuses to read/answer questions from the people trying to help *hint hint* it makes it neigh impossible for us to actually help you.

Are you going to tell us why you want an alt account that is for all intents and purposes the exact same as your main account or not?

why did they place "sockpuppeting" there?


You were told on page one three times. I suggest you actually read the posts of those answering your questions.

"Alt accounts have always been troubling to moderators, but after the massive invasion of new users, as well as the idea that it was a good idea to make clan-accounts, it was added to the rules that all alts was prohibited to show any kind of activity (forums, game- and user comments, ratings).
Before that, it was still a ground for banning if you posted on your own profile with your alt, not just because you are talking to yourself, but also because points was gained for no reason.

Leaving this, sockpuppeting is just a goddarn bad idea. In its most pure form, you have alt accounts that pretend to be other people that will, for example, back you up in an argument. Obviously that would create trouble really fast. The most common sockpuppetering on the site is people that make a - newbie alt that ask some questions, which then allows the main account to look smart while answering the questions, create an alt to break rules on the forum (and possibly have the main account comment on this or 'try' to get the alt to understand the rules), and when people think it is alright to talk to themselves.

Besides that, alts are just trouble and a quick way during a ban to get an even longer ban, if they use the alt during the ban for any reason."

"Their only purpose is for joining some sort of game clan for multiplayer in which you use that to log on and speak in game. Otherwise, they are not supposed to exist and thus are not allowed to comment or post on the forums, games, or other user's profiles.

You posting on your own account is seen as abuse of the alt account and AP farming."

"It kinda in the TaC you agreed to when making an account here on AG.

c.) Users are permitted to create ONE alternate account for each multiplayer game with the sole intention to join a "group" or "clan" with that group or clan name as part of their username. However, these alternate user accounts are NOT permitted to post messages in the forums, on game pages, or on other user profile pages. Each alternate account you create MUST be linked in your primary account's biography, and each alternate account's biography must link back to your primary account name in its profile area. The alternate account profile must turn off profile comments so users may not leave messages on that account. Failure to comply can result in removal of messages, as well as temporary or permanent bans to the accounts in question, with or without notice, at the sole discretion of Armor Games. We reserve the right to limit each player to one alternate account per multiplayer game, and reserve the right to prohibit any user from creating alternate accounts."

It soon turns into debates.


Only when someone argues for something which has no purpose, fails to provide a reason, and is disallowed for an array of good reasons.
Cenere
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Cenere
13,657 posts
Jester

To be fair, the TaC is not a place for reasoning. It's Terms and Conditions, not "Rules, and why you should follow them".

To calm down all parts, let's have the short and stubborn guide to alts, and why you can't have one:

*Alts are easily abused.
-And thus they should be proclaimed on the profile of the main account (and vice versa).
*For this reason, alternate accounts are limited.
-For all purposes they should be considered subaccounts with few perks.
*Moderators really like the way that this works, because it greatly limits the amount of problems they get.
-All that makes mods happy is a good thing.

So, here are the alternatives:
# Have alts for all the multiplayer games. Use the alts as they should be used, but allow yourself to play other multiplayer games on those accounts, thus at the very least partly concealing yourself in the game.
# Abandon your main account for a new account, be happy you can use this new account for posting and commenting without causing trouble.

Because, as it is, you cannot use your alts for posting and commenting, because it makes mods smack your face with a hammer. Even if you aren't breaking any other rules (you were, but this is irrelevant), others are abusing alternate accounts, which is the reason the rules are there.
The same reason you will get warned for unintentionally spam. It's still a rule, it might not be you causing trouble, but others are, and that is why the rules are in place. And the rules are for everyone, even moderators.

So, I don't know if we can progress further with understanding (mind you, the reason we are asking for an explanation to why you want a fully functioning alt is because we want to understand your reasons better, and thus give you either better alternatives or perhaps better reasons to assure you, not because we are going to ridicule you or scold you), but let's recap anyway:

The rule is there for a reason. That reason is idiots. You might not be an idiot, but others are, and that is why you cannot have a fully functioning alt account without getting modhammered.

You are unlikely to be given permission to get a fully functional alt account, because people are idiots, and one exception to a rule means everyone will be asking for permission, which makes moderators aggravated and more likely to modhammer someone.

Your best alternative is to keep the commenting and posting to your main account (as thus labelled "Main account" with links to the alts), and have some alts around for gaming, as you can have one for every multiplayer game (as thus laballed "Alternate account" with a link to the main account), which you can use to play games under a different name that is not immediately associated with your main account.
Either that, or starting over with the blessing of a moderator.

If neither of those alternatives are good enough, there is nothing else we can do for you, and you will be on your own to dodge hammers somehow. This is not a good way of doing anything, mods are good at finding rulebreakers.

I think that was it...

Strop
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Strop
10,816 posts
Bard

Yeah, that's pretty much right...

You are unlikely to be given permission to get a fully functional alt account, because people are idiots, and one exception to a rule means everyone will be asking for permission, which makes moderators aggravated and more likely to modhammer someone.


Bottom line: If you think you have a legitimate reason to have a fully functional alt account on the forum, approach a moderator directly and we'll see if it works out.

Do tell us rather than not, because if we find something amiss before you get around to telling us, explaining yourself will be a lot more difficult!
shock457
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shock457
708 posts
Shepherd

So "sockpuppeting" was made because of the AMOUNT of people on this website?

I understand that Armor Games is probably the most popular gaming site in the whole internet. So the "sockpuppeting" ban makes sense.

All-in-all, the "sockpuppeting" ban was meant to relive the stress of the employees here I suppose. Maybe Armor Games should hire more people to help here.

Patrick2011
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Patrick2011
12,319 posts
Templar

So "sockpuppeting" was made because of the AMOUNT of people on this website?


Not amount, but abusiveness. As several users mentioned, the rule was created because people abused alts.
Kasic
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Kasic
5,552 posts
Jester

So "sockpuppeting" was made because of the AMOUNT of people on this website?


No. It's a term for people doing what you did with their alt, acting like two different people in order to farm AP. Nothing to do with the amount of people on the site.

I understand that Armor Games is probably the most popular gaming site in the whole internet. So the "sockpuppeting" ban makes sense.


I'd have to look at statistics and I don't really care to.

It makes sense to have a ban for sockpuppeting, but not for the reason you just gave.

All-in-all, the "sockpuppeting" ban was meant to relive the stress of the employees here I suppose.


No, it was put into effect because it was causing tons of trouble.

Maybe Armor Games should hire more people to help here.


Same amount of trouble + more people to deal with said trouble = Sockpuppeting is still a ban in any case.

Are you going to tell us why you want an alt account that is effectively the same as your main account or no...?
dudeguy45
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dudeguy45
2,917 posts
Peasant

I had an alt for a long while, and I used her a lot, then one day they just banned it.

JoshTheBoss
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JoshTheBoss
417 posts
Nomad

I had an alt after I got 1337 posts. They were totally cool with it, but then I got drunk and called everybody a ****head, so it got banned. then I made another one, and the exact same thing happened, so then I decided to make up personas. This is one of them. Am I banned yet?

Devoidless
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Devoidless
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Jester

Is there a reason we are still 'debating' this?

Question was asked, then answered several times in multiple ways. Even linked and quoted to TaC more than once.

Is there anything more that can be said here? Unless someone is gunning to change our TaC or beg for a totally vestigial alt account. Which is pointless.

shock457
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shock457
708 posts
Shepherd

Someone said this.

"Alt accounts have always been troubling to moderators, but after the amssive invasion of new users, as well as the idea that it was a good idea to make clan-accounts, it was added to the rules that all alts were prohibited to show any kind of activity.


This quote should answer MY question.

"Sockpuppeting" was made because of the AMOUNT of people here?
nichodemus
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nichodemus
14,991 posts
Grand Duke

"Sockpuppeting" was made because of the AMOUNT of people here?


No. The alt rules banning sockpuppeting were made due to the amount of people sockpuppeting. The act of sockpuppeting has always been on the net, and was not caused by the number of people here, be it one person, a dozen, or an infinitesimal amount.
shock457
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shock457
708 posts
Shepherd

So the topic goes downhill. No one so far commented about "sockpuppeting".

Patrick2011
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Patrick2011
12,319 posts
Templar

So the topic goes downhill. No one so far commented about "sockpuppeting".


Read the thread rather than saying stupid stuff like that. You should see plenty of answers.
Cenere
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Cenere
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Jester

Rather than that, consider that there might be nothing to comment on. This isn't an overall sockpuppet-discussion thread, it's a thread where you asked a question, which has been answered in full, and now no one but the most stubborn people bother checking if there have been said something that needs to be replied to.
All that has to be said, has been said.

Also, to clear up what was apparently a horribly communicated reason on my part:

"Sockpuppeting" was made because of the AMOUNT of people here?

The rule against sockpuppeting was made because of the amount of idiots here.
That was what I said.
There are plenty of people that didn't horribly abuse the alts to gain AP to either account, but there were enough idiots to make it a problem.
For anything else, read the thread as suggested above, and all will be well.
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