ncsoft adds PIN system to aion log in process

[treemonster]

apparently ncsoft has added a PIN system to the log in process in aion in an attempt to stem the tide of rampant hackings going on in that game in all regions, but particularly in teh west(eu/NA).

upon logging in today the game asks you to input a 6-8 numbers only pwd, that must be different numbers.

aion fanboys seems to think this is better than wow's USB key authenticator, or the phone authenticator, but it seems to me this will do very little to improve security against hackers, but will just frustrate the average customer.

unlike many f2p mmo's there is no virtual keyboard to input your pwd and PIN, so keyloggers will lose none of their effectivness, nevermind other malware. and there is plenty of malware designed to target aion exclusively with several coordinated attacks on fansite's ad services so far.

coupled in with ncsoft's willingess to ban hacked accounts( a good thing) but then perma ban them after restoring them and close all support tickets from teh actual owner after for alleged account sharing, i have no doubt it's just going to increase frustration among the playerbase where frustration already runs high in a apparent online version of battered wife syndrome.

[ylcard]

Totally unnecessary, while it is another layer of security, the need to input yet another password during login will just frustrate the customers, "hackers" will just grin about it and /facepalm.

[Minifig]

  Quote

aion fanboys seems to think this is better than wow's USB key authenticator, or the phone authenticator, but it seems to me this will do very little to improve security against hackers, but will just frustrate the average customer.

:laugh:.

All it is, is a version of the authenticator..

How can Aion fanboys be so ignorant and not realize.. it's the exact same thing?

[treemonster]

they're aion fanboys.... they think the game is actually good... :/

[unkdirkpitt]

It is an effective system since you can't actually 'type' the numbers in and the pin pad changes every time you log in. The only similarity it has to a WOW authenticator is the fact that it's a security measure too.

I can't speak for the fanboys(and girls), but Aion is actually one of the best MMOS I've played since my DAOC days. That's if you ignore the fact that it has one of the worst xp grinds in the industry. I will be playing during the 3rd - 13th to see if it has improved.

[Minifig]

  On 02/12/2010 at 01:03, unkdirkpitt said:

It is an effective system since you can't actually 'type' the numbers in and the pin pad changes every time you log in.

Gee. The WoW authenticator's numbers change every single time you log in too. :laugh:

Watch (not my video) and learn:

The Authenticator is more secure because you actually have to have the physical authenticator to log in. If you don't have it, you aren't logging in.

[treemonster]

  On 02/12/2010 at 01:03, unkdirkpitt said:

It is an effective system since you can't actually 'type' the numbers in and the pin pad changes every time you log in. The only similarity it has to a WOW authenticator is the fact that it's a security measure too.

I can't speak for the fanboys(and girls), but Aion is actually one of the best MMOS I've played since my DAOC days. That's if you ignore the fact that it has one of the worst xp grinds in the industry. I will be playing during the 3rd - 13th to see if it has improved.

aion was probably the worst mmo i have ever played after swg. they could make thegrind 1/4 of what is is currently after all the exp increases in quests and the combat would still be not only incredibly boring and tedious but also the worst possible mix of l2 and wow with locked rotations(called skill chain combos).

the class balance is still ****, but rifting has been removed adn now you actually make enough money before level 40 to pay all the money sinks during that time and even get some ok crafted gear. you no longer have to grind every single mob between each quest spots and quest giver to reduce the number of mobs between quest gaps each level. it's easier to afford pots while leveling so you can just spam them nonstop. drop rates have improved so that you only have to run FT 50 times instead 100 to see a single gold drop there, world drops have improved but you can still got for 3 hour long stretches without so much as a white drop. then get 2 golds 5 blues and 12 greens in the last half hour of your session.

flying has been removed from the endgame zones, there' sstil gliding and windstream which are like wow flight paths except you can jump out of them at any point. all the servers in NA and EU have terrible balance and everyone qq's about being bored or it being too hard.

pvp is still either max level in max gear ganking undergeared underpower classes as they fight mobs semi afk, or a new dredgion at 55 that is even more pve focused than the old dredgion and is easier to come back from getting totally owned to winning in the last 5 minutes. pve dungeons are still mainly trash grind fests with easy mode bosses that have one shot scripted moves that makes you blow all your CDs but otherwise nothing too special. templars can actually tank in pve now instead of sins and evasion gladis being much much better.

  On 02/12/2010 at 09:15, Minifig said:

Gee. The WoW authenticator's numbers change every single time you log in too. :laugh:

Watch (not my video) and learn:

The Authenticator is more secure because you actually have to have the physical authenticator to log in. If you don't have it, you aren't logging in.

that's a lot different than what i thought it was. i thought it was a usb key that plugged into your PC or something. was there ever something like that for wow? i've seen them advertised for business desktops/laptops and a professional video editing program(need the key plugged in to start up the app).

that just looks like the phone app.

anyways people have said there is no virtual keyboard for the pin system in aion, you just type in the numbers, and you only set it once, it doesn't change or anything. what good would it do if the numbers changed anyway since aion doesn't have an authenitcator phone app or anything like that to display what you would input. it's just a numbers only pwd you set yourself at first log in after yesterday in addition to your regular pwd.

[Hell-In-A-Handbasket]

I played for amonth or 2 after it came out,, left due to hacking AFTER the accounts had been closed and no time was on the account, yet it was being used as a farmer/gold seller. When the account owner noticed it and posted it on 3rd party forums, they had their accounts banned from the game

I would actually be suprised if my stuff was still there

[treemonster]

  On 02/12/2010 at 16:45, Hell-In-A-Handbasket said:

I played for amonth or 2 after it came out,, left due to hacking AFTER the accounts had been closed and no time was on the account, yet it was being used as a farmer/gold seller. When the account owner noticed it and posted it on 3rd party forums, they had their accounts banned from the game

I would actually be suprised if my stuff was still there

yep we get a steady stream of reports.question asking why their account was banned while they were on vacation or during them being inactive for 3 months. we tell them to open a ticket because it probably got hacked. their tickets seem like their making progress after a lengthy time, then start getting auto closed witht eh message that the ban is final and no longer up for review.

the CM (ayase) steps in and says he asked the GSU to look into it and then comes back and says they are quite sure about the ban, then the fanboys come out to defend ncsoft and tell them they should not have RMTed/botted/bought powerleveling.

one person even went so far as to say ncsoft has access to stuff like your mac address and os version and so on, as if hackers can't spoof that kind of thing themselves.

aside from the one video of the aion GMs running around bot infested areas insta banning every toon on screen without bothering to watch them for at least 30 seconds to decide if they really are a bot or not.

then they like to go on about how it's so much faster and easier to get your account restored when it gets hacked in aion vs wow. nevemind that ncsoft doesn't send out emails telling you you got banned, and even when you contact them won't tell you even vague details about what it was fo.

having been hacked in wow myself i got an email telling me i got banned for ad spam which i knew was legit because it had my original account name in teh first line of the mail. within 3days my account was fully restored.

my bro got his hotmail hacked and they reset his wow pwd, and were deleting all teh emails he got from blizz as he tried to reset his wow psd. within a few phone calls and before he went to bed that night(and starting the process quite late) is account was fully restored and pointing to a new email address.

meanwhile when you get hacked in aion if it's past 5pm cst phone cs is closed and tickets won't be answered until at least the next day to just ban(lock) the account. after that it's all luck. some people have been back in game within 3-5days, most have taken 2-3 weeks. if they don't get perma banned for account sharing or botting the hacker did.

[PricklyPoo]

I played a cleric to level 50 since I had a buddy that played aion. The game is 99% boring grind. Like any mmo, the pvp doesn't really take skill. Just depends on your gear... So unless you have full level 50+ pvp gear, you are going to lose against any of the top players. I haven't played much lately, since the game is just so tedious. Not the worst game, but not fantastic either.