Concerning 343i & Unfair Location-Based Perks

Games Other Halo
1

As a lot of us outside of America or a few lucky other countries noticed today, we weren’t getting the specializations code. This is discrimination based upon locale, and gives an unfair advantage towards the people who live in the lucky few countries.

But it’s not just the specializations codes that they’ve screwed us with, when you don’t live in America (or a few other ‘lucky’ countries) there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY to get double exp, except for buying them from people who are just grabbing the codes from the stores without actually buying the products (screwing those who do buy them). Because of this, Americans have been able to hit SR 130 relatively easy, while the rest of the world has to strugle their way to SR 70 only to find themselves stuck there.

To be honest, 343i is contradicting their own rules:[

> Examples of unacceptable behavior include:
>
> - Violating the Xbox LIVE Terms of Use
> - Violating the Xbox LIVE Code of Conduct
> - Cheating or “griefing” (intentionally ruining the fun of the game for other players)
> - Manipulating network performance to improve your online performance or degrade another player’s
> - Skill, EXP, or credit boosting, habitual quitting, sitting idle in games, and other unsociable and unsportsmanlike behavior
> - Impersonating a 343 Studios or Microsoft employee on Xbox LIVE
> - Playing on a hacked or modified console or profile

](http://support.xbox.com/en-US/games/halo/halo-4-banning-and-enforcement)
343i is basically “griefing” half the world, by ruining a big part of the fun for us by encouraging EXP and SP boosting by means of giving double exp to Americans ONLY. This is clearly a showcase of unsociable and/or unsportmanlike behavior, as they’re giving an unfair advantage to a select group of people (however large that group may be) based upon where they are from.

Not only is it against their own rules, according to number 5 of Article 1 of the ‘Declaration on Race and Racial Prejudice’, geographical location can not be used as reasoning for a "rank-ordered classification of nations or peoples: [

> 5. The differences between the achievements of the different peoples are entirely attributable to
> geographical, historical, political, economic, social and cultural factors. Such differences can in no case
> serve as a pretext for any rank-ordered classification of nations or peoples.

](http://www.unrol.org/files/Declaration%20on%20Race%20and%20Racial%20Prejudice.pdf)Yet they are doing exactly that. They are giving a specific group of people, based upon geographical location an advantage to let them rank up faster. Note that I’m not saying in-game ranks should be bound to laws or anything remotely in that fashion, just that it makes no sense for them to discriminate with these things when we (most of us) as a species are trying to get rid of any and all discrimination based upon geographical, historical, political, economic, social and cultural factors.

Based upon these factors, I think 343i should send out the codes to EVERYONE (everyone as in the current group, but regardless of location) who played before november 20th, and that they should do so quite soon, if they want non-Americans to keep playing the game. It would be ideal if they never had the double exp promotion in the first place, but there isn’t really a way to undo that now as it’d screw over a lot of people in America.

Discuss.

2

Shameless bump because I put a reasonable amount of effort into this thread.

3

It is a well presented, greatly thought out thread

It is a shame that sadly, 343i nor MS will pay attention to it, I agree with everything you have said

343i have created a class system amongst the community, those who are valued and those who are not

Clearly the UK and EU are not valued, and despite it being something that they could remedy immediately by sending out codes to UK and EU Standard user players, I doubt they will

Bungie would never have pulled this stunt…343i need to learn the lesson

4

I only wish they had thought it out more thoroughly. It’s not like 343i’s employees are inexperienced, you know?

5

Nice thread, I think the least they could do is unlock all the specializations for everyone who’s sr70.

Or what a reasonable person would do, unlock all the content that’s in the game. We paid for it.

Stop the blocking content bulls***!

6

Yeah, when I first heard of specializations I thought for SE buyers they’d only get the two specializations untill they finished both, but 343i isn’t very good in thinking things through, as they have shown in other things, like replacing infection with flood and limiting the customizable settings and FORCING ctf players to grab the flag when they touch it and not letting them drop it.

7

I don’t I’ll ever reach sr70, but I agree with you. It isn’t fair what 343 are doing, it’s so weird since Europe is such a large continent aswell.

8

> I don’t I’ll ever reach sr70, but I agree with you. It isn’t fair what 343 are doing, it’s so weird since Europe is such a large continent aswell.

It’s not just Europe, dude.

> BS Angel:
> If you are registered with Xbox LIVE in Europe, the Middle East or Africa, you would have not received the email.

As much as I like BS Angel, I think that lately everything she tells us is microsoft BS.

9

Yet more 343i finger-pointing when we have no idea who’s call it was, or whether or not they had any choice in the matter. We don’t know what locale laws are in effect here.

I honestly don’t care. Europe got a freakin’ sweet collector’s edition of a game that I would’ve loved to have, but they didn’t offer it over here in the states.

Schadenfreude.

10

Finger-pointing? I was merely stating the fact that these actions are unfair. If the laws in these areas don’t allow for a company to send an email containing a special code for in-game content they shouldn’t have done it at all, for anyone, and find a different way to do it.

As for the Mountain Dew and Doritos promotion, they should never ever have done that.

11

> Yet more 343i finger-pointing when we have no idea who’s call it was, or whether or not they had any choice in the matter. We don’t know what locale laws are in effect here.
>
> I honestly don’t care. Europe got a freakin’ sweet collector’s edition of a game that I would’ve loved to have, but they didn’t offer it over here in the states.
>
> Schadenfreude.

It’s 343i’s name on the box, they make the game, they take the money, regardless of MS’s input, they are the company who are going to take the credit for the game, and therefore have to take any criticism directed at them.

12

> > Yet more 343i finger-pointing when we have no idea who’s call it was, or whether or not they had any choice in the matter. We don’t know what locale laws are in effect here.
> >
> > I honestly don’t care. Europe got a freakin’ sweet collector’s edition of a game that I would’ve loved to have, but they didn’t offer it over here in the states.
> >
> > Schadenfreude.
>
> It’s 343i’s name on the box, they make the game, they take the money, regardless of MS’s input, they are the company who are going to take the credit for the game, and therefore have to take any criticism directed at them.

Exactly. The problem is is that they’re not responding to the criticism. They’re acting like Halo 4 is totally perfect save some ‘minor’ glitches.

13

It’s a game, you’ll live through your harships.

Plus one positive thing will be that you’ll still ba around to play when new DLC while the rest will be eating leftover Doritos and bored stiff with this game :slight_smile:

14

Thank you for resuming the thoughts of many people.
You totally lawyered them :smiley:
Anyway hope this is gonna be solve quick enough.
And thank you again !

15

Why is it available to countries like India and Chile over Europe, which has a much larger fan base?

That’s not even the point, it should be available to EVERYONE.

Another example of MS/343’s poor marketing.

16

I am very disappointed by how Microsoft/ 343 are treating oversea’s paying customers. Its a real shame because there are HUGE Halo communities outside of America, but it feels as though they are being punished for not living in the right area.

I imagine a bunch of players will hit level 70, carry on playing continue to waste commendations and be at a disadvantage to players who have more perks and will be very far behind when the ranking is finally unlocked for them again.

I get the feeling that another group will just stop playing altogether as they will not be able to rank up.

For a paying customer that’s a shame either way.

17

> I am very disappointed by how Microsoft/ 343 are treating oversea’s paying customers. Its a real shame because there are HUGE Halo communities outside of America, but it feels as though they are being punished for not living in the right area.
>
> I imagine a bunch of players will hit level 70, carry on playing continue to waste commendations and be at a disadvantage to players who have more perks and will be very far behind when the ranking is finally unlocked for them again.
>
> I get the feeling that another group will just stop playing altogether as they will not be able to rank up.
>
> For a paying customer that’s a shame either way.

I know I’ll stop playing once I hit 70.

18

I said this in the other thread but I really hope they don’t make this kind of mistake with Halo 5. I have no intention of getting the LE for that game but I don’t want to be in a position two years from now where I am wasting commendations and so on just because I live in the wrong area and ‘only’ paid 40 quid for the standard edition. I also don’t want to be quitting the game this soon after launch because I am at a disadvantage.

19

i feel for ya, but considering 343’s lack of presence on the halo 4 forums, I don’t see them changing their stance. Its really messed up tbh

20

> I said this in the other thread but I really hope they don’t make this kind of mistake with Halo 5. I have no intention of getting the LE for that game but I don’t want to be in a position two years from now where I am wasting commendations and so on just because I live in the wrong area and ‘only’ paid 40 quid for the standard edition. I also don’t want to be quitting the game this soon after launch because I am at a disadvantage.

Chances are very big that Halo 5 will make the same mistakes if 343i doesn’t get their -Yoink- into gear and fixes all these problems.