Phantom Account – MMO Fallout

Account stuff — In the latest episode of our continuing drama...

I’ve been keeping an eye on Aion since the whole issue of account theft came to light, with what could potentially turn out to be a major bombshell dropped on NCsoft if allegations of security breaches were true. Originally the story was confined to a lot of people having their accounts stolen, which NCsoft had placed the blame on an unnamed fansite being compromised.

Later, I reported on accounts of inactive accounts being stolen and looted, an act that should be technically impossible as inactive accounts should not be able to log into the game to begin with, much less walk around and trade. I’ve received all kinds of email since then, calls of support from the NCsoft community, wishes of good luck in the not-getting-my-tires-slashed department, and expressions of distrust and hate, and even several accusations that I was working for Blizzard, Funcom (yes), Sony Online Entertainment, and even Aventurine. If so, I’m missing several paychecks and will be contacting the aforementioned companies in the hopes of recuperating such salaries.

It isn’t often I get to drop a proverbial piece of cheese on my own, however, as I reported just yesterday that, while searching through my NCsoft master account, I noticed that my Aion account was still listed as “playable.” I canceled Aion back in November, with the account ultimately going dead in December (although I cannot confirm it actually went inactive). I did confirm through the card I used to purchase the title (I only have one, so figuring out which was not difficult) has not been charged, and the account listing (as shown above) displays no current subscriptions.

I intended upon logging in today and replacing the previous article with an “I’m sorry, I made a stupid mistake, the account is not active.” Instead, I went through the process of downloading and installing the game, only to find what is below the break. Please note: The following contains images of Aion. If you are allergic to Korean grinders, subscription based MMOs, or have a general dislike for blue women played by men, please avert your eyes.

Continue reading “Update: My Inactive Aion Account Logged In”

I would also accept a lifetime subscription to City of Heroes instead.

File this under “Odd things I uncover because my short attention span directed me away from the article I’m supposed to be writing about closed betas.” While searching through my PlayNC account to make sure I wasn’t getting charged for, say, the free months of City of Heroes I was given a couple months ago, I decided to check up on my Aion account to see its standing, only to find this:

So my account is paid until January 30, 2010, and I appear to have canceled my subscription. What is the big issue, you ask me, Omali? Well, let’s take a time warp through MMO Fallout’s glorious history, back to December: A month in review, if you will.

“I cancelled Aion before my free month was up, my reason being because the game was actually painful to play. I know that MMOs are essentially a giant can of grind, but Aion is Nyquil minus the sugar, with extra bitter. Aion has a better story than some other MMOs, and the presentation is very well done in the form of cutscenes and other features, and I did not give the game enough time to get me to Player Vs Player combat. The grind to that point was just too painful to play, and my rule is that I cancel when I look at the login in screen and the child inside asks “do I have to?” And no, upgrading my account to collector’s edition for free was not going to keep me. And one last thing, after diving into this game; those testimonials you hear about bots in-game, they are all true.”
-Omali, MMO Fallout, in a Nyquil-addled rant about Aion.

Yes indeed. I cancelled Aion before the free month was even up. Made sure to cancel from the website and everything (as you can see from the above image). For the sake of it, I even checked my bank account to ensure that there weren’t any charges being made to my card. Furthermore, I checked the log my account, and there have been no payments since I originally activated the game.

I’m leaving this up to the MMO Fallout’ers to check into. Is there some welcome back program I passed over? Free game time for inactive accounts? I have absolutely no clue as to how long my account has been in this state, as this is the first time I have checked it since I canceled back in November. Am I going to find a horse head in my bed if I refuse this? Can I get it transfered over to City of Heroes game time?

(Update: I was able to log into Aion on this unpaid account. More information here)