We have been having

a great discussion this week regarding the mass bannings that
occurred in Aion last Friday.  For those who are buried in game and not at
all aware, NCsoft swept through and banned a whole lot of accounts for
user agreement violations including those pertaining to gold sales and
power leveling services.

Everyone should be happy that these bad, bad
people were banned, right?  Nope!  Along with complaints that
innocent accounts were banned, some players of the game's community
came to the defense of kinah buyers stating that buyers shouldn't be
banned, only the sellers should be.

Are there victims of the system? 
For other illicit activities such as prostitution or drugs, both parties
tend to both get penalized for their crimes but it seems many don't
think that unsanctioned RMT services are actually a crime which is
something that I addressed in my own forum rant on the topic. 
Another poster pointed out that he isn't so sure that buyers are the
problem:

"However, I wouldn't be quick to
jump the gun on pointing fingers at other Aion players. I find it really
difficult to imagine that there is already a high percentage of Aion
players buying, especially since the unbelievable amount of scrolling
garbage the sellers bombard you with upon entering the game isn't
exactly the type of thing that would endear one to a company, motivating
one to purchase."

Regardless of who is to blame, I think most can agree that gold sales
spam is a nuisance that we'd like to see squashed.  If you have
ideas on how to make that happen, come share them!  A community
show of support might just be what NCsoft needs to get the ball rolling
on some long term, and more viable solutions.

-Savanja, Aion Site
Lead

The end of the first free month is fast approaching!  Have you
decided to stay or are you heading back to another game?  Be sure to

let us know what you have decided and why.

Ten Ton Hammer Features:

• 
  
  Manastone Basics - Not sure which manastones work for your
  class?  Find out here!
• 
  
  Adds and Changes Needed for the Game - No game is perfect,
  find out what Aion may be missing!
• 
  
  Grouping and You - Get the tools you need to be a great
  groupmate.
• 
  
  Can Aion overcome the re-subscription blues? - Get one
  players thoughts on whether or not Aion can pull through.
• 
  
  Beginner's Guide to the Abyss - Get the basics of the Abyss
  before you step through that gate.

News From Around the Community:

• 
  
  24/7 Aion GM Support Incoming - Finally, some GMs to ease
  the petition madness.
• 
  
  NCsoft Takes a Harsh Stance Against Kinah Sales - Mass bans
  startle players and cause upset.  Was it the right move?

Tip of the Week - Did you know that you can

transfer items and kinah between your characters on the same server? 

The warehouse, found in the cities, allows you to store items
accessible by all of your characters.  This means you can use other
characters to gather for a crafting character, or utilize a broker mule
to free up space for your main character and you can do it all quicker
and easier than sending everything via the mail system.

They Must be Roleplayers...

Have you ever heard the old saying "You can catch more flies with
honey than vinegar"?  According to
Premium Member Chilidawg, it
seems that gold sellers are taking this approach now.

Vicki Says: Hello

Chilidawg Says: Heya

Vicki Says: Sorry to bother you, but would you like to buy gold from our
site? We have the best prices blah blah blah and you can get it by
visiting our site at whatever.com

It makes one wonder, what if they actually tried to be a part of the
community?  Would they fare better?