| Evony is a great game. Evony is a great concept utilizing personal skill, strategy and a little bit of effort. However, its not perfect. It's no longer a fair fight of battles. If it ever once was, I don't know, but it certainly has not been in the 8 months that I have played on 3 different Age2 servers. I'm not a 'noob', but I'm no expert either. I continue to learn every day that I play. However, that will soon be coming to an end. Playing Evony is of course, as we all know, a waste of time to relax, play a game, have fun, meet new friends, etc. But Evony is no longer fun, because it is no longer fair. Evony sites in its very own "Terms of Service" that the use of "3rd party software" aka a "bot", is a violation of these TOS. However, Evony violates its very own Terms of Service. It allows and/or does absolutely nothing to prevent the use and utilization of these bots in their gaming platform. Nor do they do anything to prevent their use, and/or follow through with any formal reports of violations, reports of harrassments, threats, inappropriate correspondence, communications, mail, and/or any other information that is expressed, shared or used in-game, even when documented proof is provided therein as part of these reports of violations. The facts alone that children under the age of 18 are permitted to play this game, but yet nothing is done to prevent or stop them from being exposed to reading or involved in online discussions using overwhelmimgly vulgar, distasteful, derogatory, racist, sexist, homophobic, hateful terms, jokes, usernames, city names, alliance names. I have witnessed daily numerous and overt violations of these Terms of Service, and I believe that this in and of itself is a direct 'contribution to the delinquency of minors'. I realize they can not monitor every single player on every single one of their servers, but they still do nothing whatsoever when players are directly reported on through the "report a violation" process they themselves set up. In addition to Evony either being unable or unwillling to prevent the ongoing and every growing increase in the use of "Bots" in their gaming platform, I personally have come to the conclusion that the bot software programs were most likely created by and or inconjunction with the Evony team. The use of the bots, by many players, quickly breaks all players into 2 groups: the haves and the have nots. Those that dont use bots to enhance their accounts are at such an extreme disadvantage, it literally is a futile effort to partipate in this online gaming system. Evony claims as in all of their promotional info, "Free Forever". Albeit this may be true that all members can play free of charge, it does not, as with any online gaming system that exists for the sole purpose of making a profit, inform players that there's no way in hell they can win or survive, without coining over and over. Many players can pay in upwards of thousands of dollars for that 'upper hand', which is the sole purpose this game was created for in the first place. This isn't really the problem of the ripoff report I am submitting. I have witnessed first hand how players that use bots, have 10-20 times the 'upper hand' in the game. Those that are 'heavy coiners' AND use these bots are the kind of players that currently work together with others just like themselves, end up being in top 10 alliances on almost every server. Because noone can even come close to the size, sheer amassed volume of troops, walls, and increasing growth of prestige that occurs 24/7, whether the player is actually playing the game or not. These bots make it absolutely and unequivocably impossible for kids and adults alike to succeed. This game is no longer fun. The wasted time we spend playing the game is wasted even further. Players, like myself, believed that maybe, just maybe, if we coined, and bought Evony's 'coining' packages, that we too just might be able to have a fighting chance of winning the war battles in the game. Personally, I have paid out $65.00 for the purchase of 3 coining packages. I can assure you, it was an absolute waste of my personal funds. I thought buying these packages, paying Evony my money, would give me a chance to survive, to help give me an equitable chance of being to defend my cities, my heros, helping me to build up troops and defenses to withstand the attacks by players that use bots. As with any war, there are spies. The spy from our alliance, infiltrated our biggest enemy's alliance. There, he witnessed open discussions in "Alliance Chat", where players referred to their bot programs as "bob", where they shared URLs for facebook pages with links to the bot software files, and other players within that alliance were encouraged to use the bot for their account. Our spy indicated that at least 95% of all members in that alliance use bots with their accounts. I have personally battled players overtly using bots. After spending day after day, sometimes in upwards of 12-16 hours a day to try and build, grow and prepare my account for battle, I have again come to the conclusion that this is a futile attempt at a fair fight. Without a bot account, we can not begin to come close to what these bot cities have amassed. Every single battle, even by multiple players against just ONE bot-enhanced player, ends in all non-bot players losing everything, with barely putting a dent in what the bot cities have amassed. This is unfair, and unjust. Because of this, non-bot users believe if they coin, they can survive, keep from being "suzed" or having their city "colonized" or even literally taken from them. The bots convince people the more they coin, the better chance they have of surviving. This, in and of itself, is what I call a 'fraudulant financial manipulation by use of an internet gaming system". Evony knows about the bots, they know what bots do to non-bot players accounts, and they also know that without the bots, people would be less likely to 'coin' as much as they would have otherwise. I am guilty of these very sentiments; believing if I coined one more time, I'd be a better player, have a better acccount, and be just a little more likely of protecting my account from obliteration. I've brought this to their attention on more than one occasion. I've asked for Evony to refund my money and close my account. After repeated messages, complaints, and reports of violations, Evony ignores my every correspondence. I am hereby now ready to quit the game, because of this. Its a waste of my wasted time. I have been trying to convince and persuade all of my alliance members not to coin, to write their own letters of complaints to Evony, and to request a refund of any monies they have paid to Evony. I refuse to pay any more money to a company that allows, condones and/or fails to take the initiative to prevent this kind of corruption and manipulation by bot-enhanced accounts they allow to be run and utilized in Evony. I have written Evony several times, I've asked for my money back, I've cited 'their violtion of their own Terms of Service, reporting violations by individual players. I, and I'm sure several other players in my current alliance, and in Evony, would be willing to corraborate what I have shared here, as they too have experienced these very same situations and the sense of pointlessness at continuing to play this game in its current state of manipulation. Personally, I would be willing to be a witness for any legal proceedings, and/or class action lawsuit, if it means getting my money back as well as getting Evony to put a complete and final prevention of any and all bots in this game. Whatever it takes to get Evony back to a fair and equitable playing field for ALL players, and not just those willing to cheat with bot accounts, or with the financial means to 'coin their way to victory'. Make Evony fair and fun again, please. Signed, An Extremely Disappointed, Tired & Frustrated Player |
