Isn't the point of this that you aren't playing anymore? So why are you going to see the server soon?

 

Trust me bro, ive been there, ive wanted to chargeback before, and i have, i got permad and i was so sad, so i closed it immediately because i knew i wouldnt win, Goodluck! If you get permad, i do wish you the best!

 

Hi Bree,

As far as I know, obsidian has never been obtainable through nether fortress chests. Even if they are, nether fortress chests are indeed always empty now.

EDIT: yeppers, my bad. Obsidian can, in fact, be obtained through nether fortress chests! Now if we can only reenable them

 

It used to be obtainable pre 1.19

 

Talisbar certainly has done well and is deserved of all the credit he gets.

Most arguments against the server being pay to win have been that there is nothing to win.
However there are leaderboards and with regards to pay to win, Mojang states the following.

You May...

• sell entitlements that affect gameplay provided that they do not adversely or negatively another player’s experience and provided they do not give a competitive gameplay advantage. A competitive gameplay advantage is something that, given identical skill levels, time investment, and circumstances, can cause one player or group to perform better than another.
  • Be aware that certain games or game modes can be designed as non-competitive (such as a player-versus-environment (PvE) game) and become competitive by adding gameplay elements such as a leaderboard.

The last paragraph makes it clear that the existence of leaderboards means the server is competitive. And there is no way I would be on leaderboards if I didn't have a rank and more specifically, god mode. So that rank most certainly has given me an advantage over players without a rank.

I'm not looking for a debate on the topic, just adding some key facts on a topic that is often raised.

 

Agree. Many servers besides skyblock also seem to go against this as well.

However, I’ve seen a comment from a mod saying that the server passed an “inspection” from Microsoft themselves, leading me to believe that Microsoft simply doesn’t care if people break the EULA or not. I feel like the problem stems from Microsoft’s lack of consistent enforcement of their own rules.

 

I don't doubt that at all, but to say that they have "passed inspection" is not the same thing as being compliant so it's not a valid argument when players say that the server violates the EULA.

The sale of keys in the webstore also violates Tebex's Acceptable Use Policy, but Tebex don't care about that either.

If a cop lets me off with a warning for speeding, I can't say I wasn't speeding. I just wasn't penalised for it.

 

Good point.

My main concern is whether or not Microsoft will allow skyblock to keep selling these “advantages”. One would hope that microsoft wouldn’t shut down skyblock because of this, but rather just give a warning and tell crew to take the shop down.

Also there is talk about cracking down on online gambling in video games, like crates with randomized rewards. Personally i like having the crates in the server, but i wouldn’t be surprised if new legislation came out banning them from being sold. From what i understand this is only from the United States, and i can’t speak for other countries.

 

They’d just remove leaderboards before they shut down the server.

Regarding gambling, well, I’ve always been against that and it would be good to see stronger laws regarding gambling in all gaming platforms.

The crate keys are certainly a game of chance and this is why Tebex prohibits the sale of them in their hosted webstores. I wouldn’t be surprised if they come under scrutiny at some stage for allowing it.

 

pay to win and pay to progress are basically synonymous

 

Yeah, similarly to Microsoft, it is odd that Tebex allows keys to be sold when it is prohibited. As for gambling in general on skyblock, I like it - as long as there is 100% honesty in what prizes can be won and what the chances for each prize are.

My one problem with the keys is the fact that under certain conditions, prizes will NOT be given. If you have a full inventory (or near full), winning a kit prize will not give any items, and will only give a red error message in the chat saying you don’t have enough space in your inventory. I became active at the end of February this year, and it has been like that since. I would really like a fix for this considering players are paying real money for these keys and not getting their rewards, but sadly this is brushed off every time it is brought up to someone who could do something about it.

 

I guess I view gambling on platforms like this much like those who will hopefully one day legislate against it.
I don't take into consideration, my enjoyment or that of other players or the success of the server. I only consider the well proven negative affects it can have on kids.

I realise many staff don't like my views on that but it doesn't make me wrong. I guess time will tell.

 

Sadly, it can sometimes be difficult reasoning with someone who has access to a ban button. However, from what I understand staff don’t have any say in anything besides who is banned and muted, only crew decides what is sold on the website.