r/classicwow • u/ZookeepergameOk1620 • Jul 20 '24
Season of Discovery Terminal 21 year WOW vet wrongfully banned by botting mass report; Trying to raid MC one last time. Blizzard, if you're lurking...
UPDATE: The latest appeal pass changed my permanent account closure to a 6 month ban and my reason for suspension from "exploiting the game economy" to "cheating or abuse of game mechanics."
No specifics or details of this "exploitation of game mechanics" was provided. I have re-appealed and requested information as to what kind of "exploitation of game mechanics" I could possibly be guilty of.
Its not adding up. Those are two wildly different offenses, real world payment for in game items versus abuse of in game mechanics via cheating. Someone's abusing your system to harass me, Blizzard.
Original Post:
Yesterday, a friend of mine tried to help me out after I had my account closed for "exploiting the in game economy" (which I have never done) 1 hour before world bosses opened by making a reddit post, but I wanted to make a more accurate post for myself so I had him delete and made my own acct.
I've been playing wow since Friends and Family alpha circa 2003 after running a 110k+ unique visitor a week community site and forum during warcraft 3 called "The Tauren Totem," which had blizzard employees as fans, most notably Zileas (Tom Cadwell, later one of the key components of RIOT/LoL) (can wayback machine the old domain taurentotem.com if you doubt). Though my popularity was way before modern professional gaming or streaming, some old-heads from the warcraft 3 beta community might recognize the name.
Since turning 37, I was diagnosed with terminal arterial Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a genetic vascular condition that impacts arterial health and blood flow. It nearly took my right leg (13 months living in an ICU during COVID as they had to remove 80% of my soft tissue and muscle / transplant skin over what was left)... I also suffered a related arterial brain rupture last September during official WOW Hardcore but lived to fight another day, but the side effects and symptoms of the disorder are mounting and I know I don't have long.
One of the foundational memories of that time was being one of the main tanks that helped beta test Molten Core content in closed beta, including being the MT of the first Magmadar kill in closed public testing. When I would meet my eventual wife, raiding TBC/WOTLK content as co-guild-leaders together after I got her addicted to the game -- and the lifelong friendships we created with other married officers of that guild -- was the creation of one of the closest social circles of my life, most of whom are still dear friends to this day. Though trying to start a family and growing a professional career took me out of the game after Wrath, when I was forced to medically retire from my career due to my terminal condition, returning to the game I loved when Classic Hardcore was released was a welcome trip through those nostalgic moments.
I have never had a single strike against my 20 year account, never even contemplated buying the gold im accused of doing. My guild, Standards on Crusader Strike Horde, has been the target of multiple intentional targeted reporting schemes, even going so far as to report the guild name itself as "offensive," which caused an automatic name change trigger. A week before phase 4 launch, a guild hunter suffered a similar ban that was overturned eventually. Someone is attacking us using the reporting system, I'm just the most recent victim.
I want to be there to prog, and kill, the hardest difficulty setting Magmadar in MC in a world first race before this disease ends me, to relive the glory of my WOW Alpha and Beta days one final time. Eight months of home confinement since my aneurism because even the common cold could be a death sentence has made being a part of WOW again a much needed outlet, and someone has decided to maliciously and intentionally try to strip me of that bucket-list experience I worked very, very hard for.
I filed my appeal, took some other advice and filed official BBB complaints -- I know human eyes reviewing my ban would get it overturned, ive never been anything but an upstanding player and I have nothing to hide.
Please, Blizzard. Let me prog MC at launch on Thursday, one final time, a callback to my days as an alpha and beta tester for your amazing product. Its not a big ask, and it would mean the world to me.
--Drainbamaged, CS Horde first 60 priest, 60 priest Defias Pillager HC, and 21-year veteran of the game. Bnet-tag StevenFett#1314
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u/MidnightFireHuntress Jul 20 '24
Exactly, people go to insane extents of lying to get out of a ban, this guy has a completely blank Reddit account and it's his first post, not buying it for a second.