Hey everyone, in light of some recent events, I'd like to provide some clarity on the game's policy regarding cheating and be transparent with how I've handled both past and recent situations. My primary responsibility is to protect the integrity of the game for everyone who plays fairly, and the inconsistency with recent enforcement has created confusion. I want to own that, explain the history, and outline the clear, formal policy that will be in effect from this point onward.
Let's start with the elephant in the room. Last week, the player known as Osh was caught using an autoclicker, which was impacting the July clan race with his clan clearly dominating the month. As a result, 857 of his bots were locked/reset. Shortly after, he began playing again on new bots. This understandably caused confusion and concern within the community.
To set things straight: Osh's additional bots have now been locked/reset, and he is now permanently banned from the game.
How we got here and the corner I painted myself into
My long-standing, though implicit, policy has been that players caught cheating are permanently banned. As seen in the Hall of Shame, there are currently 6 instances of "Banned player". While not all cheaters have attempted to return, those who did were typically discovered and had their new bots locked/reset again.
This is where my own actions created a difficult precedent. A couple years ago, the long-banned player Alan reached out to me. After multiple failed attempts to return in the past, he sent a sincere apology, explaining that was younger when he cheated and had matured since. I made a judgment call to allow him back. My error was not necessarily in accepting his story, but in making a private exception that undermined the implicit policy and created an inconsistency I never properly addressed.
This brings us to Osh. After he was caught, he was cooperative, admitted to his actions, and even provided his script to help me improve the game's detection systems. In light of this, and thinking of the precedent I'd set with Alan, I tentatively told Osh he could start fresh, but that I reserved the right to rescind the offer after further consideration.
After seeing the community's reaction and reflecting on the situation, I realized that was the wrong call. The impact of Osh's cheating was immediate and fresh in everyone's minds, directly corrupting the game's primary competitive event. Allowing him to return just days later sends the complete wrong message about the importance of game integrity.
The path forward: A clear policy for everyone
After a lot of thought, I've decided on a path that I believe respects past decisions while establishing the firm foundation we need for the future:
- Decision on Osh: As stated above, I have reversed my tentative offer. The harm from his recent cheating is too significant to overlook. He is permanently banned.
- Decision on Alan: Alan was reinstated years ago under very different circumstances. He has been an active player since his return. I feel it would be unfair to retroactively apply this new formalization to him. He will be "grandfathered in" and is welcome to continue playing.
- Clarification on Ville: It's important to differentiate between bans for in-game cheating and bans for more severe, community-damaging actions. Ville was banned not just for cheating, but also for actions that included real-money scamming of other players. The "grandfather clause" will not apply in his case. While I have heard some occasional rumors of his return, I've not yet seen definitive evidence of this myself. If he surfaces, the permanent ban will be enforced.
- New formal policy: To eliminate all ambiguity from this day forward, I have posted a new, official policy thread outlining what constitutes cheating and its consequences. You can read it here: Cheating and unfair play policy.
The core takeaway is now simple: Players caught cheating will be permanently banned.
My goal is to provide a fair and competitive environment. This clear and consistent policy is a crucial step in upholding that commitment. Thank you for your understanding as I work to correct my past inconsistencies and formalize these important rules.
