I admit I am not an uber player; Average at best (58 nec on Fennin Ro), so forgive me if I sound stupid, or bash me as is so typical.
I dont understand the point in play any more, plain and simple. I look around on Fennin, a looser server at best, in the opinion of many, and see that if it is like most servers, its rampent with a few people with way too much plat, fake or real (most likely fake). Prices have gone up 100% on most items, in some cases 200+% in auction and bazaar.
My question is this. Sony, why don't you simply cut off IGE (mysupersales). As a network engineer, I could advise you of how to do this but I am sure you have better and higher paid people of your own that know how.
For those that dont, I will offer the free idea. Since the system is most likely database run (few other things could handle the amount of information transferred around), simply track large plat transactions with no items involved or with all but a few items involved.
Example (and yes I know how it works, I have friends that have done it). Yolanda (example char) comes into the bazaar, Supersalesman comes into the bazaar. They walk up, supersalesman hands Yolanda 100kp for nothing and camps out. That is all it takes to flag that transaction. Now since that transaction was flagged, the IP address was recorded as well as the account information.
Now I know what you are thinking, but hear me out. Yes some people loan each other plat, I have done it. But how many honestly just walk up and repeated hand out 100kp to 1000kp. No one unless they are cheating or a GM (where is that guy when I need him).
So now I have dozens, maybe even hundreds of these transactions happening a week. I look at the accounts and IP addresses being used. Most likely similar. First, I cancell the accounts of both the players involved (sorry but you cheated Yolanda). Then I look at the IP address of supersalesman and Filter it from the sony network. My supersales cant get back in from that office again.
Yes, I understand that supersalesman may have been using AOL or MSN or one of the thousands of other providers out there that use DHCP instead of static addresses. But be realistic, they have enough money to have a T1, which is most likely going to be a static address.
Thus, you have eliminated the fake platinum, the people involved in transferring it, IGE for selling it (can we say lawsuit over terms of use). Oh yeah, and since Sony is far bigger, they most likely have a court order in a week that had IGE disconnected from a major ISP.
Then wait, no fake plat, no where to buy plat (EBAY got out before they got sued), and well, things start to come back down. Supply and demand.
Oh yeah, and for those that want to get rid of the bazaar, not a half bad idea, except that we dont need any more screen spam then we have already.
Sony be real, IGE are hackers attacking your revenue source, any other company would filter them out so fast and have a lawsuit slapped on them in a heartbeat.
My two copper worth since thats about all I have.
If anyone has a way for sony to read this, please pass it along.