In SWTOR there are frequent false reports regarding the Squelch system, which is supposed to protect players from bots and spammers.
Timeout for 24 hours – completely unfounded
In times when gold sellers and vendors of dubious software like to flood the trading channels of games, it makes sense to provide players with a system that allows them to report and block such troublemakers.
However, in Star Wars: The Old Republic, there has now been an increase in problems with this feature. Because as always, when something can be exploited, it will be exploited.
Instead of actually punishing “bad guys” who fill chats with obscenities or dubious offers, players are using the “Squelch” function to deliberately harm other players. As soon as enough reports against a character come in (it is assumed to be between 5 and 10, exact numbers are unknown), the affected account is unable to use the chat for 24 hours. This not only affects the global chats but all forms of communication within the game.
While many players can simply overlook the fact that they are muted for a while (which would surely be a horror for role-players), this causes significant disadvantages in PvP battlegrounds. If you are the only defender at a control point on a battlefield and cannot call for help when it is attacked, the impact is doubly devastating: not only do you lose the game, but your own team is also angry about why you didn’t report.
The Community Manager Eric Musco has now commented on this in the official forum and warns: Anyone who “squelches” players without a valid reason will face severe penalties against their own account. He specifically warns guilds with their leaders or officers: If they encourage their members to engage in such organized harassment, much harsher penalties may apply, which can extend to the permanent closure of the game account.
Finally, he points out that if you become a victim of such an incident, you should simply contact customer service. Musco strongly advises against seeking revenge and silencing the other player as well, because that would also violate the rules.
For more news and articles about BioWare’s MMORPG, visit our Star Wars: The Old Republic theme page.
