I cannot post on killingifrit using a sidekick, because that site is poorly designed, normally that doesn't bother me but there's some things I feel need to be said and I know some of the people read both. Sorry if this is going to be considered drama. Read no further if that would bother you please.
http://www.killingifrit.com/forums.php?m=posts&q=85808
In this thread members of KoN/Dynasty and WW give various excuses as to why their LS's cheat, instead of really addressing the issue. I am not going to name names because I am really not intending to flame, rather I wish people would take a harder look at what they do ad their consequences on others that play the game. But I want them to know that the following excuses which they use hold no value. The excuses fall into these categories:
Excuse 1 "ping times are unfair so we have to cheat" Ping times do give a minimal advantage to some, but this is a natural occurence in all online games, botting is not part of the game. Botting and editing darters and anything else other than in game macros gives a much bigger advantage than any ping time. People cannot help that they have a better ping time than others - it is not a hack.
Excuse 2 "Its not me that's cheating its just my LS" if you are in a LS that cheats to claim HNMs then you are using them as a "cheat device" whether you like it or not. If you partiicipate in an event that was accessed through cheating (claim bot, editing out darters, etc.. ) then to say its ok because it was someone else in your LS is a copout.
Excuse 3 "If somebody doesn't like cheating then they don't have a right to enjoy endgame activities and they should simply step aside" This is absurd!!! Why should those of us who do not wish to cheat simply not be allowed to play a portion of the game?
Excuse 4 "They do it so we have to do it too" No it doesn't mean that. No one can make you cheat. That is a choice you had to make yourself.
Excuse 5 "There's too many LS's so we have to cheat" Oh come on... It is not anyone's fault that they like to play the game. It is not your right to punish them for being too many and exclude them from a part of the game by cheating for claims.
Excuse 6 "Hey at least we don't MPK"
These are all rampant forms of cheating on ffxi:- Botting (including darter editing type claim hacks) , RMT, using a windower, and Powerleveling, and MPK. But out of all of those only botting excludes others from a portion of the game. It is easily the worst of all those cheats. Yes, that's right, claim hacks are worse than MPKing, because anyone can do it without leaving the game mechanics to do it, so as bad as it is, at least it's a LEVEL playing field. So don't think for a second that you are somehow a good kind of cheater for not taking the MPK route.
If there were any other excuses I have forgotten them or I thought they were a joke.
In other games I have played in the past I have just thought, "oh well its probably just some 12 year old kid" but not in this case. I have known and been friends with some of them in the past and we are talking about adults who still don't understand right and wrong.
All I guess I'm saying is this:
Stop making excuses.
If your going to cheat then there's really nothing anyone can say to change your mind so don't justify it just come to terms with it. There's no need to gloss it over. Just say "I cheat because I enjoy my pixelated rewards more than my integrity, and that's my own business."