Apathy getting attacked for killing PW

I can understand Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooodum's argument that if it's a problem, SE can fix it by having a mob remember enmity until killed. But at the same time, that has it's limits. If you're just logging out for intended reasons, and happen to aggro a mob right when you actually log, is it fair to be raped the instant you log in, especially with lag the mob will most likely get 4-5 shots on you unopposed before you can even respond. I dunno, it's just my opinion. I personally don't use this exploit, but I don't think it's a bad thing. I like to do things the way the programmers intended. And that is NOT a shot at Apathy or any other LS that uses this tactic on longer HNMs, it's just my personal ideal.

So, Square-Enix: Logging Hate is Legal AND Legitimate?? We need to talk...
(I could've put this as a "Flamage Part 11", but part of the reason I didn't is that the bulk of this post is going to the Special Task Force.)

In light of the actions of the Special Task Force and other disciplinary entities in the last two weeks, I can only say that I have been encouraged that steps may finally be taken to curtail high-end player abuse of the game...

... that is, until I found the official POL website last night, and the most recent article thereon.

(As of about 5:30 PM PST on February 5, it still is the most recent story -- a link to the Allakazham article on the defeat of Pandemonium Warden by the Apathy linkshell on Remora.)

I am calling for an investigation of this "victory" as a matter of misconduct by the Special Task Force. I believe the Apathy linkshell (those members who took part in this fight) should be penalized under "Actions Which Might Result in an Unfair Advantage" -- as stated in Article Q12652 in your Q&A on your official site.

The specific charge against the "victors" is the following, and I quote from your site:

"[Game Exploits]

Players who take advantage of in-game mechanics not intended as normal means of game play may have their account suspended and all items or experience obtained through those means confiscated."

I am specifically referring to the concept of what has become called "logging hate". My understanding of it is as follows:

At three points in the final Pandemonium Warden fight, PW puts out a series of avatars and then casts Astral Flow (the summoner 2-hour). If the Blood Pacts are then allowed to resolve, everyone wipes and the fight fails.

So, apparently, what Apathy did then was:

-- One person, probably a Red Mage (almost certainly a PLD/RDM, probably), casts Area of Effect Damage over Time spells to gain massive emnity on Pandemonium Warden and all the avatars in play.

-- Said player then runs like Hell. Not a problem to this point -- this often happens in Dynamis.

-- Here's the problem: All other players then log out of the game, by pre-arranged agreement.

-- The player being chased by the mob of monsters dies, sacrificing himself to allow the party the needed time to log out. Logging out clears the list of all players in the fight with emnity to Pandemonium Warden. With no remaining players alive with emnity to Pandemonium Warden, the NM will go back to his spawn point and, essentially, stop. No further aggressive action will be taken until someone is aggressive to it. During this time, everyone else logs back in (the timeframe I heard was 2 minutes), and the sacrificial lamb is raised and healed.

Repeat as needed to avoid Astral Flow wiping the entire linkshell.

The use of logging out to avoid Astral Flow and to clear all emnity to Pandemonium Warden is the use of a game mechanic (logging out) not intended as a means of normal game play.

There is only one normal game-play use of logging out: to leave Final Fantasy XI. The use of logging out to clear hate, as well as to force Pandemonium Warden to cease attacking, is not only an exploitation of the code of logging out, but also of the code of the specific traits of Pandemonium Warden (in that it ceases all attacks and will not attack further, once it's emnity list is clear, until new emnity is made against it).

This action is a clear violation of the rules against Game Exploits, quoted above.

Two weeks ago, you took the strongest action yet against long-time players who have been cheating the system. The posting of this article to the official FFXI website gives not only legality to this strategy, but legitimacy as well.

That cannot be allowed to stand.

Not only is the strategy illegal, by your own statements in your Q&A (unless you really want to try to claim there are other normal game-play uses of logging out of the game -- and I would like to hear them now if there are!!), but the posting of the "victory" on the official site gives the strategy legitimacy (something not even the Kraken Club DRK strategy had when Absolute Virtue was made a 2-hour situation).

The article must come down. The Special Task Force needs to investigate this. The "champions", as it were, need to be suspended, if not banned.

Failure to do so will leave players with a question which I am certain you do not want them to have. That question being: Since, if this strategy is allowed, Square-Enix allows and encourages the use of only those exploits which they CHOOSE to have allowed, which exploits are allowed and which are not?

If you want legitimacy regarding keeping the game fair, that is a question you must avoid at all cost. Investigate this "victory".

(On edit: And for those who don't think I'm serious -- and this isn't the last e-mail I'm running to SE damned soon, this was sent to the STF from the Service and Support link (with small editing for clarity and to get it down to space... 6:21 PM PST 2/5/09)

Here is the link the above:

http://darkrenegadesmusings.blogspot.com/2009/02/so-square-enix-logging-hate-is-legal.html

This is something i found on BG, which i found interesting.
This not my own personal post.
The link sends you to who's it is.

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Apathy Getting Attacked For Killing PW