In Temtem there was a first major wave of bans against cheaters on February 3. The developers showed no mercy, but the community demanded a way to appeal. In the end, they received it.
What happened? The developers of Temtem shared on Twitter that they implemented the first wave of bans in the MMO. This affected 900 cheaters.
They also confirmed that the bans are permanent and there will be no option for appeal. According to their statement, they ensured that all bans were 100% justified.
Furthermore, more bans are to follow, as there is no place for cheaters in Archipelago, the world of Temtem.
We just completed our first batch of banned users. Almost 900 players have been permanently banned from Temtem.
— Temtem (@PlayTemtem) February 3, 2020
Bans are final, we won’t answer or review any ban appeal. We’ve made 100% sure that every banned user is either a cheater or has abused exploits intentionally.
How did the players react? The harsh actions without an appeals process led to much criticism from players. Although it is generally good and sensible to ban cheaters, the lack of an appeals process raised the possibility that someone could be banned unjustly.
This led to a change of heart among the developers, who now offer the option to contact them via email if a protest against the ban is to be filed.
Players were critical at first, then enthusiastic
How did the players react at first? Under the first tweet about the ban wave, some players reacted very emotionally. Although they were not affected themselves, they suddenly feared losing access to the MMO:
- Exirion: “I am not a fan of ignoring appeals, simply because it’s unlikely that you are always 100% right, especially as the game grows.”
- Kuhachoco: “Have you lost your mind? No appeal? You also need to consider that the banned players may not have even known that it was an exploit, but thought it was a glitch or believed that it was the intended function.”
- TheEntelexeia: “How can you be 100% sure? It would really suck if I got banned for no reason and couldn’t file an appeal.”
The developers then took the feedback to heart and changed their process.
What was changed: Complaints against bans can now be filed via email at: [email protected]. Additionally, some bans have already been reviewed at the players’ request.
However, all of them have been confirmed to be justified, as the developers also stated via Twitter:
We’ve decided to review ban appeals, even though every single one of the ones we checked are legit. Like you said, having a “no appeal” policy is not good.
— Temtem (@PlayTemtem) February 3, 2020
So, you can contact us on [email protected]
Put “Ban appeal” as the subject and include your ingame ID or username.
They also confirmed that releasing Temtems to make money is a completely legitimate and desired method.
What do the players say now? Many positive reactions are now gathering under the second tweet. Many players are thrilled that the developers actually listen to them and adapt their processes to meet their wishes:
- AidaraRose: “Wow. You guys are so good at listening to your players. Thanks for that!”
- Pathardo: “Thank you! That’s why you have become my favorite developers. You listen to your community.”
- Yekahtentyes: “Thanks for listening. Even if the bans were probably justified.”
It’s not the first time that the community has reacted positively to the game. Although there were many errors and bugs at release, it barely received negative reactions on the reddit platform.
Even our author Leya has already experienced how positive the community is. Only in one case has it become unpleasant around Temtem:
