Author Topic: Scummy Mobile Devs: Game Insight  (Read 1937 times)

Spectere

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Scummy Mobile Devs: Game Insight
« on: February 09, 2018, 12:24:35 PM »
Yes, I know a more appropriate subject would be "Scummy Mobile Devs: ALL OF THEM," but this is about just once instance of douchebaggery.

When it comes to mobile games, I like to have one or two of the really crappy free ones installed just to pass time. They're pretty mindless so they're great for passing time for a few minutes if I don't have time to play a round of something that has any actual meaning. When I hit The Grind WallTM it's no skin off my back to uninstall them and move on to the next one. About the only one I'd spent any real time in was Clash of Clans, and that was a terrible idea all around. That was pretty much the game that taught me that even throwing $5 at those glorified scam artists to "support them" is a bad idea.

But anyway, the latest one that I tried out was Airport City, by Game Insight. The experience was short lived, however, as my account was soon partially blocked for terms of service violations.

Naturally, I looked up information on this and found a wealth of posts on Reddit and on some fan forums about how people were getting blocked for no apparent reason, blocked for "clicking buildings too quickly," or even blocked when going between time zones. I was told in no uncertain terms that my ban was caused by changing my device's time:

Quote
Dear Ian,

Your game has been blocked as a result of changes of the time or date on your device. Those changes are not permitted because they can give players an unfair advantage over others.

Follow these instructions to unblock your account:
1. Set the correct time zone, date, and time on the device. The changes should be made using the automatic option, not manually.
2. Send me a screenshot or photo of the selected settings. More detailed instructions on how to take screenshots can be found in this article: http://helpdesk.game-insight.com/hc/en-us/articles/204007898-How-do-I-take-a-screenshot-with-my-iPad-iPhone-or-iPod-touch-

Sincerely,
XXXX
Game Insight Support Team

Here is my response. I'm pretty sure my block is going to turn into a full ban very shortly:

Quote
If changing the time/date settings on a device can impact the game like this, there's a serious problem with how your games are designed (don't trust the client--time everything server-side). Considering the number of reports I've read that merely going between time zones (which I do somewhat often) is enough to trigger your anti-cheat measures, it seems like you're using local device time. Look into using UTC instead.

But more to the point: I have not changed the time/date settings on my phone. They are, and always were, set to automatic. Instead of sending you a screenshot, however, I've uninstalled the game and will never do business with your company again. I have far better things to do in my life than cheat at free-to-play mobile games and deal with companies that accuse me of such.

Warmest regards,

Ian

Message delivered, I think. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Now I'm playing Egg, Inc. instead. It's a silly little incremental/clicker game, but it seems to be intentionally designed so that you don't have to pay a dime on it if you don't want to. Definitely not as slow of a burn as many of those types of games are.
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