Right now, anyone who exploited any of the countless glitches in The Division is feeling a little uneasy about the possible punishment headed their way. In particular, those who engaged in the Falcon Lost glitches over the past week are feeling the heat.
Community Manager for Ubisoft, Natchai commented on a forum post stating that:
“We are working on fixing the exploit. Obviously it is against our Code of Conduct and the team is looking into what can be done in terms of punishment for those who have exploited”
(Ubisoft Code of Conduct Exert)
Glitching: Abusing a bug in the Game code or other established rule of gameplay
— First offense: temporary suspension
— Multiple offenses: permanent ban
Apparently, as of a couple hours ago, the same community manager has confirmed temporary bans for everyone exploiting the incursion and “harsher” penalties for those who exploited it multiple times. Since information regarding anything to do with The Division is scattered across forums, Twitter and other social media outlets, we are still hunting down a solid link the that last statement.
We know that previous bans of up to 3 days have been handed out to players in The Division for taking part in gaining rewards from exploiting glitches so it would be safe to say that the expected punishment for anyone who only engaged in this once would be approximately the same, however what about the ‘harsher’ penalties?
As it stands we are all in fear of using our characters after new updates are implemented for fear of losing our characters, however that issue has now ‘been resolved’ – permanently I hope?!
The Division overall is a great game, a lot of fun and very addictive, this is perhaps why so many people have been prepared to give the developers the time they need to fix the never ending issues in the game. We know bugs will always pop their head up, that is to be expected in any video game, however how long will players tolerate issues with some of the fundamental mechanics of the game?
Issues like not being able to reload, healing and reviving not activating, enemies that teleport, dropping through the map into looked rooms towards the end of a mission, these are things that don’t just disrupt your experience but in some cases undo hours of hard work. It’s one thing to get the end of challenge mode and not be able to complete it because you lack the skill or necessary gear level to do so, and it’s totally another to spend all that time to get to the end only to be teleported to the beginning again.
Should players be punished for mistakes made by the developers? Yes and no.
I understand the frustration that many feel with the changes to phoenix credits, the nerfing of crafting and constant re-sets due to glitches in the game, and I think this is what drives many to try and regain that lost time through no fault of their own by accessing these glitches to get gear they would have already had if they were not encountering all these other issues in the game.
When you are just playing against AI what possible harm is that doing to anyone else that you deserve to be punished for this? However, and this brings us to the ‘yes’ answer, The Division isn’t just you against the computer, in the Dark Zone (DZ) you encounter other players who are meant to be on a relatively even level with you due to the bracketing system for entering the DZ. Should these players who have not exploited these glitches be annihilated because they happen to come across you and your merry band of glitchers? No, they really shouldn’t. There is a reason the bracketing system is there and that’s so all who enter the DZ stand a relatively decent chance of being able to enjoy their time in there without dying over, and over, and over again.
It’s your choice and your choice alone to exploit these glitches, regardless of the reason, regardless of the issues in the game, you have that choice to continue playing it in it’s current state and also to chose to exploit further issues in the game for your own personal gain. The Ubisoft Code of Conduct (included below) goes into detail about what you can and cannot do, and also what disciplinary actions you open yourself up to if you break this code. All who are playing The Division agreed to this code on the first day you launched the game.
On that note though, none of this would be an issue if they would just fix their game instead of working on new additions to an already leaky ship.
Plug the holes THEN add extra cargo.
An update was rolled out over the weekend to fix some of the issues with Falcon Lost, the DZ and to bring back missing agents, you can find the patch notes for that HERE. If you are finding completing Falcon Lost legitimately to be quite the battle, we have a guide here to help you understand how it all works to assist you in preparing for the battle ahead.
How do you feel about this? Do you agree people should get banned for exploiting the glitches, or do you feel that it’s on Ubisoft for releasing a broken update? Let us know in the comments section below.
Code of Conduct
Ubisoft terms of use
This code of conduct is supplemental to Ubisoft terms of use. Please refer to such terms for additional conduct rules.Responsibility:
Ubisoft cannot be held responsible for the actions or comments made by Users in the various areas of the game, forums, or other social media outlets. Ubisoft reserves the right to remove any and all content published by a User without prior warning or notification.We strongly advise you not to give personal or account information to anyone. This includes information that can be used to identify you (social security number, telephone number, physical address, etc.) or information that may be used to compromise your account (personal email address, answers to your security questions, etc.).
Please note that a representative of Ubisoft will never ask you for your password.Code of Conduct:
When you play Tom Clancy’s The Division, you must respect other Users and their user rights. The following points must be upheld by everyone, and will be enforced by the Ubisoft staff:
- Any suspected breach of the Code of Conduct or Terms of Use will lead to investigation by Ubisoft staff. Ubisoft reserves the right to suspend, ban, or delete any User’s account without prior warning or notice.
- When using the services provided by Ubisoft, Users may not engage in or encourage any illegal behavior or communications concerning such.
- Users will follow all instructions given to them by the Ubisoft staff. Non-compliance of the User regarding any request made by a Ubisoft employee will be considered a breach of the Code of Conduct, and may lead to account suspension or revocation.
- The User will respect the rules detailed in this Code of Conduct when using the services offered by Ubisoft and the Tom Clancy’s The Division game. The following list of forbidden conduct gives examples of unacceptable behavior, but should not be considered exhaustive.
Forbidden Conduct:
- It is forbidden to harass or bully other players via verbal or written communications. Ubisoft will not tolerate any form of harassment and may be obligated to suspend or ban any player account should harassment occur.
- It is forbidden to publish pornographic or sexually explicit content via the mediums made available to the player by Ubisoft.
- Any language or content deemed illegal, dangerous, threatening, abusive, obscene, vulgar, defamatory, hateful, racist, sexist, ethically offensive or constituting harassment is forbidden. This includes use of the above on the forums, via the in-game chat, or over VOIP.
- Impersonation of any other player or Ubisoft employee is strictly forbidden.
- Any conduct which interrupts the general flow of gameplay in the game client, forum, or any other Ubisoft medium is forbidden. This includes but is not limited to, spamming, advertising or soliciting other products.
- Verbal or written abuse targeted toward a Ubisoft employee will not be tolerated, and may result in account suspension or deletion.
- It is forbidden to repost any moderated content on the forums. Please contact a Community Manager directly if you have any questions on why a post or thread was edited or removed.
- Exploitation of any new or known issues or bugs is forbidden and may result in account suspension or revocation.
- Any attempt to edit, corrupt or change game or server code is strictly prohibited. Any such behavior will result in the immediate cancellation of the account, and may even give rise to personal liability and/or penal penalties.
- Use of third-party hacking, cheating or botting clients is strictly prohibited.
Usernames:
The following rules clarify the types of names that you may not use:
- You may not use a name that is contrary to the Code of Conduct. This includes the use of names of a hateful, racist, defamatory, ethnically offensive, obscene, vulgar or sexually explicit nature, as well as any other offensive wording.
- You may not use names that lead to the harassment or slander of other users.
- You may not use the name of any Ubisoft employee.
- You may not use a name of a character, object or product covered by copyright or trademark.
- You may not use a name from popular culture or the media.
- You may not use a name with a religious or historical connotation.
- You may not use a name linked to a terrorist organization or activity.
- Ubisoft strictly reserves the right to use the names linked to the Tom Clancy’s The Division license.
- You may not use a name that refers to an illness, medicine, drug or alcohol.
- You may not use any name that breaks any of the aforementioned rules via the association of the first name and surname.
- You may not use a name containing spelling mistakes or written in such a way as to break one of the aforementioned rules.
Account Security:
The User alone is responsible for the security of their account, including protecting their system and account from being compromised.Nevertheless, Ubisoft vows to assist the User if they think that their account security is threatened or has been compromised. If an account turns out to have been stolen or used by an unauthorized third party, further investigation will be made by Ubisoft staff, during which time the account will be blocked.
Ubisoft does not guarantee compensation for any damages caused by fraudulent use of an account. Only the results of the investigation can determine the necessary action.
Any act of account piracy or theft will be punished and may give rise to personal liability or penal penalties for the guilty party.
Customer Service:
Customer Service is there to help you with any problem you may come across in the game. You can contact them via the game or the site, in the support area. Here is a non-exhaustive list of what Customer Services can do for you:
- You will receive a quick reply to your questions and problems, depending on the workload of the Customer Services department.
- We will do our utmost not to intervene in or interfere with the game unless it is absolutely necessary during our work.
- All our Users are treated equally.
- Any incident that may be interpreted as breaking the rules will be subject to further investigation. The benefit of the doubt will be given to the User before any action is taken.
- All sanctions will be applied as quickly as possible, depending on the seriousness of the breach, the circumstances and your account history.
- All correspondence between the User and Customer Services is private. It will not be divulged to other users.
Disciplinary Policy:
Ubisoft wishes to offer Users a welcoming game environment, both during gameplay and in the forums. However, a breach of the Code of Conduct may occur. When this happens, Customer Services will investigate further and will make every attempt to be just and fair with the people involved. Depending on the seriousness of the breach and the players’ history, Customer Services may decide to take the following action:
- It is possible that there will be no sanctions.
- A warning may be sent to the player who has committed the fault. In this case, they will be notified by e-mail and details of the reasons for the warning and the action taken will be noted on their account.
- A player may be suspended for a period of time ranging from a few hours to a few days. The penalty will be noted on their account and an e-mail sent detailing the facts, the penalty and the period for which the game will be blocked for them.
- A player may have their game account terminated. This means that their access to the game will be blocked until an unspecified date. The player will receive an e-mail detailing the reasons for the penalty and the facts surrounding it.
Below are examples of behaviour that could lead to your account being banned from playing online or restricting your access in other ways from the game:
- Cheating / Modding / Hacking: Player is running a modified version of the game client or a third party software providing him with an unfair advantage (wallhacks, aimhacks…) or causing a severe detriment to other players’ experience:
— First offense: temporary suspension
— Multiple offense: permanent ban- Offensive Language or Behavior / Threats: Posting or publishing (public forums, private chats or VOIP) any language or content that is in violation of this Code of Conduct
— First offense: warning
— Second offense: temporary suspension
— Multiple offenses: forum account ban- Harassment: Harassing or serious bullying other players via verbal or written communications in and outside the game (public forum, private chats or VOIP)
— First offense: warning
— Second offense: temporary suspension
— Multiple offenses: permanent ban- Glitching: Abusing a bug in the Game code or other established rule of gameplay
— First offense: temporary suspension
— Multiple offenses: permanent ban- Duration of a suspension will be decided at Ubisoft’s discretion, on a case by case basis
- Actual disciplinary action may differ from the list of examples depending on the severity of the behavior and shall be decided at Ubisoft’s discretion, on a case by case basis
Disputing Account Sanctions:
If you have a question or wish to dispute an account sanction that you have incurred, please send a request to Customer Service by using the contact options found on our customer support portal. Please be sure to include all relevant information. We will reply to your questions as promptly as possible.Please Respect the Code of Conduct:
Help us make this site, the game and the forums a welcoming community space. Respect the Code of Conduct and encourage others to do the same. If you meet players who are not familiar with the Code of Conduct, politely encourage them to read it.
