Welcome to the Wizard101 Message Boards


Player Guide
Fansites
News
Game Updates
Help

Follow important game updates on Twitter @Wizard101 and @KI_Alerts, and Facebook!

For all account questions and concerns, contact Customer Support.

By posting on the Wizard101 Message Boards you agree to the Code of Conduct.

Menu Chat only for Free to Play

AuthorMessage
Survivor
May 16, 2009
40
Awesome idea, goldendragon!

I also agree with vonawesome, there should also be a level limit.
lvl 15-20 will do

I usually never spend more than 5 minutes in the commons these days, just because of the filth spewing from f2p wizards with a cc on account

Other then that, i cant really think of anything else! You all have done a wonderful job trying to protect wizard city!

Blaze Icecloud, Level 75 Wizard City Protector

Delver
Apr 11, 2012
206
Hello,

I have read that a lot of you think that you should make a purchase of membership or crowns to have filtered or open chat. This means that players that play free cannot use chat.

I think this would be taking an advantage on players who cannot pay money. Like Snowyandspots wrote, you could separate the open/filtered chat from the menu chatters to prevent bad language seen by children.

Thank you
Miranda ThunderGem
"Be Amazed"

Survivor
May 02, 2009
27
I have menu chat, and now I am kind of glad. Looking at all the people saying that they were insulted by other players, I think that I am WAY safer with my menu chat.

Armiger
Feb 25, 2009
2425
Galaxyl0l wrote:
Hello,

I have read that a lot of you think that you should make a purchase of membership or crowns to have filtered or open chat. This means that players that play free cannot use chat.

I think this would be taking an advantage on players who cannot pay money. Like Snowyandspots wrote, you could separate the open/filtered chat from the menu chatters to prevent bad language seen by children.

Thank you
Miranda ThunderGem
"Be Amazed"


Galaxy101, There are many online games that require you to be a certain level before you have access to open or filtered chat. KI has been very gracious to allow just having a CC on file in order to have this option. With that in mind, you might want to take a stroll through some of the really bad realms and see just exactly what we are talking about.

Many of us have been playing for a long time and we do PAY to play this game with our young family members. Many of us also started with menu chat only. There is no point to having a CC on file if you have no intention of actually playing the game past the F2P and NO REASON to have the option of open or filtered chat. Filtered and Open chat are a PRIVILEDGE not a right.

We are getting extremely tired of those that can't or just plain don't want to follow the rules doing and saying whatever they wish. We will keep asking KI to make the necessary changes and requirements in order to reduce the amount of this kind of behavior in this game.

If some one can't afford to pay for a sub or to purchase the areas with crowns, then they can't go past the current F2P areas in the first place. The suggestions and ideas are not so far fetched as to make it impossible for new players to try the game to see if they want to play or not. If they do, GREAT, if the don't, then they have no business just SOCIALINZING int he F2P areas.

Fallon WinterLeaf a "Wizard City Protector"

Survivor
May 02, 2009
27
I think that the real problem is that KI only mutes or removes a wizard, not the whole account itself. If they muted or removed the entire account, that would solve the problem.

Mastermind
Jun 23, 2010
345
Zdrone wrote:
I think that the real problem is that KI only mutes or removes a wizard, not the whole account itself. If they muted or removed the entire account, that would solve the problem.


The WHOLE account is muted or banned not just a single wizard. I had a friend get the 24 hour mute it affected their entire account. During the gardening exploit people lost their entire accounts.

Megan

Survivor
May 02, 2009
27
mom2mykidzcrcj wrote:
Zdrone wrote:
I think that the real problem is that KI only mutes or removes a wizard, not the whole account itself. If they muted or removed the entire account, that would solve the problem.


The WHOLE account is muted or banned not just a single wizard. I had a friend get the 24 hour mute it affected their entire account. During the gardening exploit people lost their entire accounts.

Megan


In that case. how do people come back on a different wizard five or ten minutes later?

Armiger
Feb 25, 2009
2425
Zdrone wrote:
mom2mykidzcrcj wrote:
Zdrone wrote:
I think that the real problem is that KI only mutes or removes a wizard, not the whole account itself. If they muted or removed the entire account, that would solve the problem.


The WHOLE account is muted or banned not just a single wizard. I had a friend get the 24 hour mute it affected their entire account. During the gardening exploit people lost their entire accounts.

Megan


In that case. how do people come back on a different wizard five or ten minutes later?


By creating new FREE TO PLAY accounts with a CC on file. It only takes a very few minutes to do this. This WHY we want that option stopped and requirements in place so they can no longer do this. It will greatly reduce the problem and it is not an unreasonable or unattainable limit.

And by the way, Megan is right. It is the entire account that gets muted or banned and not just that wizard.

Explorer
Jul 31, 2011
95
I want to reply again and say again that I am still 100% supporting this idea.

Not only should there be a credit card requirement but a level requirement and f2p should NEVER have open chat or even text chat.

Text chat should be a privilege of those who pay to play..... (crown players included)

open chat should be a high privilege to those who have exceeded in their studies and brought that wizard up to a certain level and there for also pay (yes also crown players).. but ONLY for that wizard, not the entire account. Each wizard should have to get to the proper level to unlock open chat.

Stop paying and it reverts back to free to play until which time your earned chat is promptly reinstated.

Easy and fair.

Mastermind
Jun 23, 2010
345
Zdrone wrote:
mom2mykidzcrcj wrote:
Zdrone wrote:
I think that the real problem is that KI only mutes or removes a wizard, not the whole account itself. If they muted or removed the entire account, that would solve the problem.


The WHOLE account is muted or banned not just a single wizard. I had a friend get the 24 hour mute it affected their entire account. During the gardening exploit people lost their entire accounts.

Megan


In that case. how do people come back on a different wizard five or ten minutes later?


They start a new account. The only things that would stop one making a new account are IP or Mac bans. Muting or banning a single account does not prevent one from starting a new account. I have "heard" repeat offenders say they simply started a new account. Many of them go on to brag how many "dummy/disposable" accounts they have.

Megan

Survivor
May 02, 2009
27
mom2mykidzcrcj wrote:
Zdrone wrote:
mom2mykidzcrcj wrote:
Zdrone wrote:
I think that the real problem is that KI only mutes or removes a wizard, not the whole account itself. If they muted or removed the entire account, that would solve the problem.


The WHOLE account is muted or banned not just a single wizard. I had a friend get the 24 hour mute it affected their entire account. During the gardening exploit people lost their entire accounts.

Megan


In that case. how do people come back on a different wizard five or ten minutes later?


They start a new account. The only things that would stop one making a new account are IP or Mac bans. Muting or banning a single account does not prevent one from starting a new account. I have "heard" repeat offenders say they simply started a new account. Many of them go on to brag how many "dummy/disposable" accounts they have.

Megan


Okay, now I understand how they do it. I am kind of clueless when it comes to this stuff, because I have menu chat.

Defender
May 22, 2011
105
yeah. some wizards have found out to swear without really swearing. they are mixing two words together to form the swear word. but there is a space in between the words so it doesn't count. and this is a problem because wizards with text chat can be young.

Survivor
Sep 23, 2010
42
Riana288 wrote:
yeah. some wizards have found out to swear without really swearing. they are mixing two words together to form the swear word. but there is a space in between the words so it doesn't count. and this is a problem because wizards with text chat can be young.


It does count, it is called cursing around the filter and is reportable.

Armiger
Feb 25, 2009
2425
It seems that some players think that just by changing a letter or 2 or using the first and last letter with other symbols in between keeps them safe from being reported.

As JackandTurbo stated, this is known as "cursing around the filter". This also indicates how many players simply do not READ the ToU/Chat rules or do not care. It almost seems like they deliberately make more F2P accounts just to see how many of them get muted or banned. In all honesty, I would like to see KI start a 3 strikes you are out policy. If you get the 3rd account muted or banned, that should be grounds for an IP/Mac ban.

This is a Family oriented game. NOT a social club, adult chat room, or a few others that I can think of but will not post them.

@Rianna, The WCP group does try when we can to educate some of the younger players that this kind of behavior is not needed to have fun and good friends. Most of the younger players only type what they see and sometimes without realizing it will get them in trouble. Unfortunately, too many think that cursing makes them look "cool or mature". This infact really makes some of them look rather foolish and some of the older ones that KNOW better, look as if they were never taught that this makes them look ignorant.

Hopefully, if KI does use this idea, then by the time the players have completed the requirements to have access to open or filtered chat, those players will think twice before abusing that Priviledge. "Abuse it, Lose it".

Fallon WinterLeaf a "WCP"

Defender
Aug 03, 2011
103
Instead of muting them and letting them make a new account, let's have a new idea. The F2P players could be innocent and some might not renew their membership and they could just loose what they had. Literally everything besides gear and houses. So what I propose is only mute them for the milder offenses such as just swearing around the filters (like using ash or cass and yes, crop if you have text chat) with milder meanings should be mutes. But those who use the more vulgar and offensive things (such as trying to use the F-word and sexual terms) should be instantly banned. And those in the middle of those should be more of a suspending thing. this will not punish the F2P players and those on their main accounts using this stuff thinking that they can just make another account to continue their foul language should be permanently punished and should not think they can just get away with it. Adults should be able to join the game and see the text chat first to see how it works before they even start paying for it. The parents on this game are going to need to start testing out open chat and text chat first and look in the commons just to see all this language BEFORE they decide to let their child to play. It is an issue how many parents let their younger children get open chat as young as 9 i've seen. And beleive it or not, I'm 12 years old

Mastermind
Jul 08, 2011
305
mom2mykidzcrcj wrote:
Zdrone wrote:
mom2mykidzcrcj wrote:
Zdrone wrote:
I think that the real problem is that KI only mutes or removes a wizard, not the whole account itself. If they muted or removed the entire account, that would solve the problem.


The WHOLE account is muted or banned not just a single wizard. I had a friend get the 24 hour mute it affected their entire account. During the gardening exploit people lost their entire accounts.

Megan


In that case. how do people come back on a different wizard five or ten minutes later?


They start a new account. The only things that would stop one making a new account are IP or Mac bans. Muting or banning a single account does not prevent one from starting a new account. I have "heard" repeat offenders say they simply started a new account. Many of them go on to brag how many "dummy/disposable" accounts they have.

Megan


This is what happens a lot of the time.

This idea is meant to keep that from happening, or at least make them think twice about saying something when they are.

Kevin Deaththorn, Wizard City Protector

Armiger
Feb 25, 2009
2425
dodgeballking wrote:
Instead of muting them and letting them make a new account, let's have a new idea. The F2P players could be innocent and some might not renew their membership and they could just loose what they had. Literally everything besides gear and houses. So what I propose is only mute them for the milder offenses such as just swearing around the filters (like using ash or cass and yes, crop if you have text chat) with milder meanings should be mutes. But those who use the more vulgar and offensive things (such as trying to use the F-word and sexual terms) should be instantly banned. And those in the middle of those should be more of a suspending thing. this will not punish the F2P players and those on their main accounts using this stuff thinking that they can just make another account to continue their foul language should be permanently punished and should not think they can just get away with it. Adults should be able to join the game and see the text chat first to see how it works before they even start paying for it. The parents on this game are going to need to start testing out open chat and text chat first and look in the commons just to see all this language BEFORE they decide to let their child to play. It is an issue how many parents let their younger children get open chat as young as 9 i've seen. And beleive it or not, I'm 12 years old


What you describe is how the game has been from the beginning. It worked fine for a while but is no longer acceptable.

Many other online games use a very similar system as to what has been suggested here. For some of those games, you can only go to Level 20 at the very least before you have to sub the game and Level 20 is the lowest level you can access ANY kind of chat. Some games require and even higher level. In reality the suggestions here are being more than fair. It may also make a player stop and think before saying something in the game that will put them right back to MENU CHAT ONLY. And this includes ADULTS. Many of us posting here are Adults and do not feel this is unjust. Many of us adults started playing with Menu only until we decided whether we wanted to sub the game or not. So, yes, this is fair to everyone.

Illuminator
Oct 22, 2011
1304
dodgeballking wrote:
Instead of muting them and letting them make a new account, let's have a new idea. The F2P players could be innocent and some might not renew their membership and they could just loose what they had. Literally everything besides gear and houses. So what I propose is only mute them for the milder offenses such as just swearing around the filters (like using ash or cass and yes, crop if you have text chat) with milder meanings should be mutes. But those who use the more vulgar and offensive things (such as trying to use the F-word and sexual terms) should be instantly banned. And those in the middle of those should be more of a suspending thing. this will not punish the F2P players and those on their main accounts using this stuff thinking that they can just make another account to continue their foul language should be permanently punished and should not think they can just get away with it. Adults should be able to join the game and see the text chat first to see how it works before they even start paying for it. The parents on this game are going to need to start testing out open chat and text chat first and look in the commons just to see all this language BEFORE they decide to let their child to play. It is an issue how many parents let their younger children get open chat as young as 9 i've seen. And beleive it or not, I'm 12 years old


Hey! Thanks for participating in our discussion. :)

I just wanted to clarify, that F2P (free-to-play) accounts don't pay anything to play. Wizard101 set up a F2P area (part of Wizard City) so people can test it out before they decide to pay for a membership, or pay to open areas with purchased crowns.

Mastermind
Jul 28, 2010
312
goldendragon18 wrote:
Galaxyl0l wrote:
Hello,

I have read that a lot of you think that you should make a purchase of membership or crowns to have filtered or open chat. This means that players that play free cannot use chat.

I think this would be taking an advantage on players who cannot pay money. Like Snowyandspots wrote, you could separate the open/filtered chat from the menu chatters to prevent bad language seen by children.

Thank you
Miranda ThunderGem
"Be Amazed"


Galaxy101, There are many online games that require you to be a certain level before you have access to open or filtered chat. KI has been very gracious to allow just having a CC on file in order to have this option. With that in mind, you might want to take a stroll through some of the really bad realms and see just exactly what we are talking about.

Many of us have been playing for a long time and we do PAY to play this game with our young family members. Many of us also started with menu chat only. There is no point to having a CC on file if you have no intention of actually playing the game past the F2P and NO REASON to have the option of open or filtered chat. Filtered and Open chat are a PRIVILEDGE not a right.

We are getting extremely tired of those that can't or just plain don't want to follow the rules doing and saying whatever they wish. We will keep asking KI to make the necessary changes and requirements in order to reduce the amount of this kind of behavior in this game.

If some one can't afford to pay for a sub or to purchase the areas with crowns, then they can't go past the current F2P areas in the first place. The suggestions and ideas are not so far fetched as to make it impossible for new players to try the game to see if they want to play or not. If they do, GREAT, if the don't, then they have no business just SOCIALINZING int he F2P areas.

Fallon WinterLeaf a "Wizard City Protector"


I would like a list of games that follow this menu chat rule. I would also like to see the amount of players that these games have.

Like I said before your kids can use menu chat, ignore button, or don't play the game at all. Also I have not seen these problems in the game due to focusing on pvp and questing. It sounds like the problems are in the free to play area which leads me to believe that you hang out in these areas. Simply by not staying in the commons or the dye shop you should be fine. :?


Mastermind
Jun 23, 2010
345
Snowyandspots wrote:

I would like a list of games that follow this menu chat rule. I would also like to see the amount of players that these games have.

Like I said before your kids can use menu chat, ignore button, or don't play the game at all. Also I have not seen these problems in the game due to focusing on pvp and questing. It sounds like the problems are in the free to play area which leads me to believe that you hang out in these areas. Simply by not staying in the commons or the dye shop you should be fine. :?



Apathy and actions like you suggest are why those areas in the condition they are. Being an ostrich and sticking ones head in the sand does not fix anything.

We object because EVERYONE has to go to these areas sooner or later. Not to mention this is the FIRST place new players spend LOTS of time. Had this been like it is now my kids would not be playing the game. The filth in Commons is hardly a welcoming and inviting place. GEE I like to dye my clothes and don't want to see x rated language or visuals while doing it. One Dye Shop means I will.

Why should GOOD players not have text or open chat? Why should we suffer? My kids don't abuse chat. Nope the uncouth louses should suffer.

I have always reported people and will continue to do so. IF that means I have to hang out where the majority of the bad behaviors occur so be it. The Spiral is cleaner so I am spending less time there.

I for one am glad there are lots of players will to stand.

Megan Frostriver WCP


Armiger
Feb 25, 2009
2425
Snowyandspots wrote:


I would like a list of games that follow this menu chat rule. I would also like to see the amount of players that these games have.

Like I said before your kids can use menu chat, ignore button, or don't play the game at all. Also I have not seen these problems in the game due to focusing on pvp and questing. It sounds like the problems are in the free to play area which leads me to believe that you hang out in these areas. Simply by not staying in the commons or the dye shop you should be fine. :?


First off, if you have searched and read all of the ToU and other sections containing information regarding posting on this site, you will also know that listing anything that KI does not already approve, is against the rules.

I and many others are NOT going to downgrade our chat priviledges that we have and have followed the rules for and PAY to have just to accommodate ANY player that has chosen to ignore those rules. F2P areas are not the only areas of the game that have been infected with trash talk. And you can not honestly say this kind of talk does not happen in the PvP Arena. Some of our group members do PvP and this same problem has been showing up about the trash talk in the Arena on Central.

Simply NOT taking the time to look around when headed for the bazaar is why this has happened. Why do you think KI gave members the report button? We are all at fault for putting it in the attic to collect dust. Tools don't work if you don't use them. If more players get involved in cleaning up and helping KEEP the chat system clean, then we will be seeing very little of it in the future. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles will then let their young players return to the game. For those young players that are not allowed to play at this time, that is lost revenue for KI. If this kind of language is allowed to continue, there will be even more loss of revenue and the game will become like so many others out there that are not fit for families with young players to play.

KI has created a game that has gone far beyond what others have done. It has the attraction of MAGIC, FUN, and ADVENTURE.

You can treat the problem however you wish, but don't condemn those of us that have said ENOUGH is ENOUGH. We aren't leaving and we will not stop reporting and we WILL NOT stop asking KI to make some changes.

Explorer
Apr 05, 2012
63
Snowyandspots wrote:
Like I said before your kids can use menu chat, ignore button, or don't play the game at all. Also I have not seen these problems in the game due to focusing on pvp and questing. It sounds like the problems are in the free to play area which leads me to believe that you hang out in these areas. Simply by not staying in the commons or the dye shop you should be fine. :?


If you actually read the first two pages of this thread, you would know that it is NOT only in the free areas. The issues also exist in PvP, and beyond Wizard City. I honestly don't know how you can say you've spent so much time in the Arena, and not experienced swearing or worse when the other side is defeated. Unless you play with menu chat yourself.

If you take a look around the rest of the W101 forum you would find many other posts about bad language. The problem that many of us here are trying to get across is that the accounts of younger family members have been disabled and the kids can no longer play. It has evolved to visual interaction. Something that can not be avoided by making an account menu-chat

Astrologist
Dec 16, 2009
1035
It is a novel idea but I can't see KI going through with it. It's business model is the complete game until a certain point. Limiting new/trial players to menu chat would hurt KI a lot. It is very counterintuitive to the concept of a mmorpg which is player interaction and communication. I know when I joined the game if I had only the option to menu chat, I would probably not be here today. It is sad that so many decide to exploit this system but this solution is not the right one. Perhaps KI could use ip addresses or cookies to prevent these abuses.

Survivor
Mar 23, 2012
15
goldendragon18 wrote:
In all honesty, I would like to see KI start a 3 strikes you are out policy. If you get the 3rd account muted or banned, that should be grounds for an IP/Mac ban.

This is a Family oriented game. NOT a social club, adult chat room, or a few others that I can think of but will not post them.


I could not agree more with this suggestion more. I was reading in another thread about the levels of vulgar behaviour in the commons, and the position of the WCP, and I was amazed to find out that such a group exists in game, so I went to the commons and stayed there for a bit to see if it was really necessary.

First realm: A level 12 wizard walks into the centre of the pond and offers to gift mounts in return for three treasure cards a piece. Next to him is another wizard offering his pet and a free mount for a Hoard of the Hydra pack. Blatant scam, and I thought that others would figure it out as such and ignore them accordingly. But nope, the first wizard amassed a crowd of 5-6 others begging for friend requests and trade requests, three of which were shocked when he took their cards and logged off. Reported, move on to another realm.

Second realm: Under the tree near Penny, two wizards are harassing a third wizard to make out with one of them, and the girl starts to swear around the filters, calling the third wizard names for not making out with a previously male wizard (I assume this was her second for the night, at least). Reported. But what shocked me was not having to report within 2 minutes of being there, but her reaction. She started calling the single wizard a baby for reporting her, allowing herself use of round about cursing to get more colourful, within 30 seconds she had apparently received two more reports, and the singled out wizard had received one himself as they argued over who reported who, and decided to settle it by having a swearing contest before making new accounts in anticipation of there imminent ban.

The only reason I never noticed this before was because I play the game and don't socialise (except for the few friends that have proved themselves in battle) and am never really in the same area long enough to notice, or everyone around me is doing the same thing: Questing. But if people like this girl and these scammers really exist on this game, and in such numbers to warrant a guild of concerned citizens to band together with the sole purpose of cleaning the streets, very much like the Crimson Knights in the .Hack// series, then there should be more drastic measures then simply banning accounts on a case-by-case basis be put in place.

I agree with the notion of filtered chat requiring having an active cc on file, or be paid for, and definitely agree with IP bans for repeat offenders. Although if some of these individuals go so far as to bypass the the IP ban, I would like to see credit card banning be implemented as well.

Armiger
Feb 25, 2009
2425
FatesKin wrote:
It is a novel idea but I can't see KI going through with it. It's business model is the complete game until a certain point. Limiting new/trial players to menu chat would hurt KI a lot. It is very counterintuitive to the concept of a mmorpg which is player interaction and communication. I know when I joined the game if I had only the option to menu chat, I would probably not be here today. It is sad that so many decide to exploit this system but this solution is not the right one. Perhaps KI could use ip addresses or cookies to prevent these abuses.


FatesKin, since i have no idea how many of the posts to this topic you have read, I will tell you that many ofus, especially older players started with Menu Chat only. My reason for it was that I saw no point in putting a CC on file inless I decided to sub the game. My second account started just for the purpose of trading TCs between my wizards on my main account and also with Menu Chat only.

Even though the options were there for open or filtered if I did put a CC on file, I chose to wait and see if I wanted to actually continue past the F2P areas. Once I made that decision, naturally, I opted for Open chat since I am well past the 18+ requirement. I honestly don't feel that it is necessary to have open or filtered chat priviledges until a person decides to take that sub/crowns move to continue past the F2P.

I feel that KI has done as much as they can with the filters and as we have all seen, there are those that purposely experiment to see what they can say to get around those filters. The unfortunate part of this is that no matter what KI can do to update the filters, other than maybe, set them to recognize incorrectly spelled words or abreviations intended to be foul, there will always be someone figure a way around them.

Allowing muted players to continually make F2P accounts for the purpose of cursing around the filters has gotten so far out of hand that you will hear many of these players bragging about how many accounts they have had muted or they won't get on their main accounts because they don't want them muted. So where is the justice in this kind of behavior.

If the F2P were possible FILTERED only chat, with the option of Open after certain requirements including age or parental consent, are met and NO rules broken up to and beyond that point, then, even that may be an option. If the player has to EARN the options for filtered or open chat, they are less likely to abuse it. "Abuse it, Lose it". Plain and simple.

First offense sanction should not be less than a month flat out. We have seen too many times players coming right back on the same wizard after a 1 to 5 day mute and pick up where they left off. Again, I ask, where is the justice in this.

KI has been very gracious with what they do allow F2P players have and yes, it is very sad that so many have chosen to abuse it. The game is now 4+years old and the problems with the chat abuse has only gotten worse. Myself and a few others feel it is time for stricter measures. I also think and know that if some of these changes are made, there will actually be more parents with their kids returning as PAYING players and there will also be more take a better look at the game and see it for what it was originally and still is advertised as. "A safe Kid/Family game". As the current game environment is now it is a little better than it was 2 and 1/2 months ago, but for how long? Those that have chosen to abuse the chat system need to be aware that there are Parents, Grand Parents, Aunts, Uncles and older siblings that have decided Enough. WE will not listen to anymore of this nor will we as PAYING customers shut down our Chat options for those who wish to continue cursing.

If KI can come up with a way to prevent this from happening, whether it be a temporary or permanent IP block/ban or another option that will prevent the offenders from being right back in the game within minutes, then great.

We will continue to be vigilant and will report when necessary.

Fallon WinterLeaf Founding Member WCP.