EA disputes claims that failing to report SimCity bugs in beta could get you banned from all EA games
Update So it was another case of poor wording on their part
Update (1/23/13): Looks like EA noticed the Internet was getting upset at them again and decided to take another look at the SimCity EULA. Apparently, this was all just another case of bad wording on their part, and they've already updated the EULA to sound less... frightening. Here is what the publisher had to say:
“The clause in the EA Beta Agreement for the SimCity beta was intended to prohibit players from using known exploits to their advantage. However, the language as included is too broad. EA has never taken away access to a player’s games for failing to report a bug. We are now updating the Beta Agreement to remove this point.”
Fair enough. An angry community can get things done, it seems. For those still interested in trying the game early, a beta will be held this weekend for folks who signed up.
Thanks, Smell the Chiken, for reminding us to check back!
If you're currently in or planning to get in on the SimCity beta, you're going to have to be extra careful around those bugs. Seems EA is toughening up, as evidenced by some harsh terms found in the SimCity beta EULA.
See, according to the end-user license agreement, if you run into a bug during your time in the beta, it's your responsibility (duty, even) to report it -- it being bugs, "undocumented features," or other such problems. Neglecting to do so may result in a ban from all EA games.
The reasoning behind this, according to the publisher, is that failure to report game bugs is the same as exploiting it:
"If you know about a Bug or have heard about a Bug and fail to report the Bug to EA, we reserve the right to treat you no differently from someone who abuses the Bug. You acknowledge that EA reserve the right to lock anyone caught abusing a Bug out of all EA products."
That's a tad worrying, but some have pointed out that EA really shouldn't know if you ran into a bug or not, so the threat is both excessive and difficult to believe. We figure that finding a bug and then spreading word of it all over Reddit or Facebook, however, would be an entirely different matter.
EA laid down a similar rule during the Battlefield 3 beta, and vague wording in their Origin user agreement got the publisher into some hot water.
Source: Ars Technica
Section: PC Games
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EA should really know by now that there is always the random dude who will read through the dozens of pages of EULA garbage. They should also know they are one of the most hated companies in the US and people are watching them. So wording it so strongly? Not a good move.
On the other hand I kind of support the idea behind it, though not the extreme of the draconian punishment. I've been in a few betas, many the majority of people treat it like early access and make no effort to report issues to the developers. In fact many of the betas I've been in, most recently being the wow mop beta, people have actively looked for major exploits that allowed them to greif people in insane ways.
TLDR: I support removing people from a beta who are not taking it seriously. I do not support banning people from products they have paid for due to the fact they aren't taking their unpaid volunteer beta experience seriously.
So yeah, disregard that line XD
But, how would I know if it was a bug or not? And if the bug was just a person glitching through a surface, if I failed to report it, I would get banned from everything EA? Holy shitttttee you're dumb. I could MAAYBE see this with a competitive game, but Sim City???
ahahaha!
It's Maxis we're talking about, so they are trying to clear things up. Looks like it was just a case of bad wording.
RabidChinaGirl
I hope the "angry" gaming community know this is just a justification and not the real reason why they're changing their EULA for the beta. They're probably not that stupid though to think not. Angry gamers have done many things against EA owned companies...*cough*BiowareandMasseffect3ending*cough*
another job well done! help us continue our work by depositing a cookie in the jar to your right when you exit the area. thank you and have a pleasant day.
In the Battlefield 3 beta, they specifically prohibited beta participants from talking about server issues. Such as the fact that the game was set up to use servers on the opposite end of the world for load-balancing.
EA doesn't do things like that by accident, they do them on purpose. Next EULA from EA probably includes "If you're thinking about not liking our game in any way, you are prohibited from talking about it - WE WILL KNOW IF YOU DO! WE SEE ALL!".
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