I'm in no way trying to respark an argument, or condone/dissaprove of any sort of AFK activity. I'm merely informing everyone that there seems to be an official position on AFK activity: http://swg.stratics.com/
Neif: We’ve made a decision to no longer spend valuable CSR time chasing down non-intrusive AFKers. The keyword here is non-intrusive. We are dedicated to busting and banning credit farmers and exploiters. However, if a player wants to level up their new beast and is not harming other players by being AFK, we will not actively pursue them with CSRs. This should free up more time to go after the intrusive farmers and exploiters.
So it seems we have an official position on AFK activity
Moderator:Lexx Yovel
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Lexx Yovel
- RID Leader/Mayor
- Posts:5390
- Joined:Fri May 14, 2004 10:26 am
- Location:Fort Oasis, Tatooine
So, you are saying that some RID were grinding, some guy from WAKE came in and was doing his thing. The RID (and other folks) got pissed and said he was poaching?
If I read between the lines, I see phonebook is the one who sent tells to said poacher.
Lexx, are you condemning, authourizing, or posting the obvious?
Can I get some feedback here?
If I read between the lines, I see phonebook is the one who sent tells to said poacher.
Lexx, are you condemning, authourizing, or posting the obvious?
Can I get some feedback here?
-
Lexx Yovel
- RID Leader/Mayor
- Posts:5390
- Joined:Fri May 14, 2004 10:26 am
- Location:Fort Oasis, Tatooine
Erougn wrote:So, you are saying that some RID were grinding, some guy from WAKE came in and was doing his thing. The RID (and other folks) got pissed and said he was poaching?
If I read between the lines, I see phonebook is the one who sent tells to said poacher.
Lexx, are you condemning, authourizing, or posting the obvious?
Can I get some feedback here?
I think your reading too much into this. I'm not even sure what your talking about. Send me a PM with the story so I can read about it.
I was just posting this to see if anyone wanted to know SOE's stance, so we could put that particular aspect to rest. I didn't hear anything in regard to Phonebook (I cant even log in).
I too wish to log on... we were gonna have a meeting for the heroic, but I guess not tonight. Figures all the other servers are online.
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Aerick-Fyonna
From Valara in this thread:
As stated previously, SWG Customer Service no longer considers the use of combat macros while Away From Keyboard an exploit or any other sort of violation of game policy. This change in policy has created some confusion, because of the different activities which may involve the use of combat macros while a player is not paying attention to the game. Let’s try to clear up the policy below.
If a player is using combat macros while AFK:
in an area not containing any NPCs needed to complete missions;
in a manner which does not prevent other players from accessing the content in that area;
solely for the purpose of gaining experience, either for themselves or a pet;
No violation is going on, under the revised policy.
Example: A player or small group of players are camped in one part of the Dantari Village on Dantooine, killing the villagers with pets and macros while AFK, but leaving the rest of the village open for other players, there is nothing wrong with those players’ actions. They are not monopolizing content, nor are they preventing other players from completing any missions. So they are doing nothing wrong.
If a player is using combat macros while AFK:
in an area containing NPCs needed to complete missions;
in a manner which prevents other players from accessing the content in that area;
for the apparent purpose of gaining loot for later sale for real-life money;
with a third-party program (bot);
That player is violating current policy.
Example #1: A large group of players are camped in one part of the Dantari Village on Dantooine, killing the villagers with pets and macros while AFK. As before, they have left the rest of the village open for other players, but their group is so large it is lagging the zone, so that other players cannot hunt in the same area. The interference created by the lag is an unacceptable disruption.
Example #2: A player or group of players is camped in a section of the Rryatt Trail, killing Wookiees while AFK. The Wookiees are needed for at least one mission, and the group’s activities are preventing other players from being able to complete the mission. The AFK players are in violation.
Example #3: On Dathomir a group of players are running around in unison, killing and looting Nightsisters. They don’t answer hails or tells, and either follow a predictable course through the area, or monopolize a prime spawn point. These may be one legitimate player multiboxing, or a group farming for secondary sales. Enough doubt exists that CS should be alerted so we can investigate the activities.
As a player, you may be wondering how you can avoid being accused of illegal AFK combat. Here are some tips:
Avoid large AFK groups. It’s true that larger groups can take on more NPCs and thus gain better experience, but large groups also generate so much in terms of particle effects and animations that they can slow frame-rates to a crawl for anybody in the same zone.
Don’t set up AFK macros in an area where NPCs are needed for missions.
Set your AFK macro running in a location where plenty of spawns are left for other players.
Avoid dungeons and areas where mobs needed for quests spawn.
Remote locations are best.
With regards to those who are farming purely to sell the items or credits for real world money: These people have never abided by any policy even before this announcement, and as such this has not suddenly made them all come out of the woodwork, nor does it mean CS is condoning them. However, what we believe will now happen is CS can concentrate purely on catching these people by methods we already have available to us, rather than having to handle the hundreds of petitions per day about people who –might- be AFK farming for other reasons. We spend too much time sifting through the hundreds of tickets that might contain one actual real world money farmer. Now, we can spend all our time working on catching those people.
It’s a big galaxy, with enough content to share. If the real players just play nice and consider their fellow gamers, the true exploiters and farmers will be more obvious, and thus easier for CS to catch.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To sum, don't do it in a spot needed for progression (quests, Legacy) or high density areas that causes people to lag out. And don't cause drama, it crashes the server.
As stated previously, SWG Customer Service no longer considers the use of combat macros while Away From Keyboard an exploit or any other sort of violation of game policy. This change in policy has created some confusion, because of the different activities which may involve the use of combat macros while a player is not paying attention to the game. Let’s try to clear up the policy below.
If a player is using combat macros while AFK:
in an area not containing any NPCs needed to complete missions;
in a manner which does not prevent other players from accessing the content in that area;
solely for the purpose of gaining experience, either for themselves or a pet;
No violation is going on, under the revised policy.
Example: A player or small group of players are camped in one part of the Dantari Village on Dantooine, killing the villagers with pets and macros while AFK, but leaving the rest of the village open for other players, there is nothing wrong with those players’ actions. They are not monopolizing content, nor are they preventing other players from completing any missions. So they are doing nothing wrong.
If a player is using combat macros while AFK:
in an area containing NPCs needed to complete missions;
in a manner which prevents other players from accessing the content in that area;
for the apparent purpose of gaining loot for later sale for real-life money;
with a third-party program (bot);
That player is violating current policy.
Example #1: A large group of players are camped in one part of the Dantari Village on Dantooine, killing the villagers with pets and macros while AFK. As before, they have left the rest of the village open for other players, but their group is so large it is lagging the zone, so that other players cannot hunt in the same area. The interference created by the lag is an unacceptable disruption.
Example #2: A player or group of players is camped in a section of the Rryatt Trail, killing Wookiees while AFK. The Wookiees are needed for at least one mission, and the group’s activities are preventing other players from being able to complete the mission. The AFK players are in violation.
Example #3: On Dathomir a group of players are running around in unison, killing and looting Nightsisters. They don’t answer hails or tells, and either follow a predictable course through the area, or monopolize a prime spawn point. These may be one legitimate player multiboxing, or a group farming for secondary sales. Enough doubt exists that CS should be alerted so we can investigate the activities.
As a player, you may be wondering how you can avoid being accused of illegal AFK combat. Here are some tips:
Avoid large AFK groups. It’s true that larger groups can take on more NPCs and thus gain better experience, but large groups also generate so much in terms of particle effects and animations that they can slow frame-rates to a crawl for anybody in the same zone.
Don’t set up AFK macros in an area where NPCs are needed for missions.
Set your AFK macro running in a location where plenty of spawns are left for other players.
Avoid dungeons and areas where mobs needed for quests spawn.
Remote locations are best.
With regards to those who are farming purely to sell the items or credits for real world money: These people have never abided by any policy even before this announcement, and as such this has not suddenly made them all come out of the woodwork, nor does it mean CS is condoning them. However, what we believe will now happen is CS can concentrate purely on catching these people by methods we already have available to us, rather than having to handle the hundreds of petitions per day about people who –might- be AFK farming for other reasons. We spend too much time sifting through the hundreds of tickets that might contain one actual real world money farmer. Now, we can spend all our time working on catching those people.
It’s a big galaxy, with enough content to share. If the real players just play nice and consider their fellow gamers, the true exploiters and farmers will be more obvious, and thus easier for CS to catch.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To sum, don't do it in a spot needed for progression (quests, Legacy) or high density areas that causes people to lag out. And don't cause drama, it crashes the server.
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Cryl
just remember,you aswell have the right to report ppl.i did,and got one removed,who disturbed me while petgrind.works fine,and if more then 5-20 gets angry about one.. sony will aswell act for normal player.
but i never got punished or pushed to move out of a crystaldrop cave,even if i got reportet 5 times in two days.i did then by free will,just to keep the peace.(as would this care me much),the GM will talk to you if you grind in a dropzone (collections/holos..such things),just reply,and its solved.
few facts on the grind..
1.you would get more out of your pet if you handlvl him atleast to 60.
more junk/money/collections,and his happyness..means damage..
2.never discuss with anyone about a spot,if they wanne get you away,they can call a gm,and he will not force you to move ,aslong as you are at the keyboard.(even this part belongs to the situation,means if you grind in a needed zone(like i did) gm..care about,and talk to you,but nothing to worry,aslong as you reply.)
3.i prefer now /addignore instead of long discuss.if ppl tend to still insult you to stop using your pet..you have the same right,to call a gm.works fine,they earn the same warnings n short bans .
4.for now i can see that every evening atleast 5-8 member of RID make use of the macro,ask ingame ,nearly everyone does have it.
5.pets go for less then 1m.(not useful,but fighting pets.atleast good for grind)...60 points r not that cheap..not at all.
6.if you r going to make use of a 60pnt..watch his happyness,atleast there you want have him at "best friend forever" to get the tier5 spells/skills/dots,so keep him healthy,and feeded
7.if you/pet end at 90 and wanne reach fast BFF asap. make his faforits all at once.means as example.. his faforit planet,his faforit food,faforit actions,if he wanne watch a ent,do that on the planet he like./faforit mobs.(they can be grey,it still raises the loyality),just leave that for atleast 18hours,some could be 24 hours..but then it should switch to bff. ..and dont forget group/solo faforit..it counts aswell,btw..the math behind it is very simple. each kill = 1 point,each happyness modifier +1 point for each kill(example,mine 60pnt likes tat ,killing beasts,group,his food.and watching ents.)
then i use for loyality killing instaspawn lowlvl pets on tat,in group,wathcing my ent-alt,giving food,and that all over night.
8. make use of a lootmacro,with corpse part,and if you fight mobs use a harv line aswell ,the bones or leather r still worth something.
9.dont buy too much diet..have seen ppl buying 10 boxes,its not needed.
your pet wont take them from lvl 75 or higher anymore.i used for lvling around 150 uses (thats 500xp x 10 stims 16 uses..some left still.)
10.for a petgrind the quality/statepoints does not matter.only if you wanne make use of your pet ,after the grind.
but i never got punished or pushed to move out of a crystaldrop cave,even if i got reportet 5 times in two days.i did then by free will,just to keep the peace.(as would this care me much),the GM will talk to you if you grind in a dropzone (collections/holos..such things),just reply,and its solved.
few facts on the grind..
1.you would get more out of your pet if you handlvl him atleast to 60.
more junk/money/collections,and his happyness..means damage..
2.never discuss with anyone about a spot,if they wanne get you away,they can call a gm,and he will not force you to move ,aslong as you are at the keyboard.(even this part belongs to the situation,means if you grind in a needed zone(like i did) gm..care about,and talk to you,but nothing to worry,aslong as you reply.)
3.i prefer now /addignore instead of long discuss.if ppl tend to still insult you to stop using your pet..you have the same right,to call a gm.works fine,they earn the same warnings n short bans .
4.for now i can see that every evening atleast 5-8 member of RID make use of the macro,ask ingame ,nearly everyone does have it.
5.pets go for less then 1m.(not useful,but fighting pets.atleast good for grind)...60 points r not that cheap..not at all.
6.if you r going to make use of a 60pnt..watch his happyness,atleast there you want have him at "best friend forever" to get the tier5 spells/skills/dots,so keep him healthy,and feeded
7.if you/pet end at 90 and wanne reach fast BFF asap. make his faforits all at once.means as example.. his faforit planet,his faforit food,faforit actions,if he wanne watch a ent,do that on the planet he like./faforit mobs.(they can be grey,it still raises the loyality),just leave that for atleast 18hours,some could be 24 hours..but then it should switch to bff. ..and dont forget group/solo faforit..it counts aswell,btw..the math behind it is very simple. each kill = 1 point,each happyness modifier +1 point for each kill(example,mine 60pnt likes tat ,killing beasts,group,his food.and watching ents.)
then i use for loyality killing instaspawn lowlvl pets on tat,in group,wathcing my ent-alt,giving food,and that all over night.
8. make use of a lootmacro,with corpse part,and if you fight mobs use a harv line aswell ,the bones or leather r still worth something.
9.dont buy too much diet..have seen ppl buying 10 boxes,its not needed.
your pet wont take them from lvl 75 or higher anymore.i used for lvling around 150 uses (thats 500xp x 10 stims 16 uses..some left still.)
10.for a petgrind the quality/statepoints does not matter.only if you wanne make use of your pet ,after the grind.
AFK grinding and taking over a spawn while at the keyboard are two separate issues. If you do indeed take over a spawn (such as the crystal cave) and do not share it with others who may wish to use it, even if you are at the keyboard, you will not get a warm response from RID. I would suggest you do not bring it up, if this is the case.
swtor: Aeroxis
Apium Auvair- Master Medic
Kalice- Master Architect
Aurelie Auvair- Jedi Master
Victoire Auvair- Master Armorsmith
Apium Auvair- Master Medic
Kalice- Master Architect
Aurelie Auvair- Jedi Master
Victoire Auvair- Master Armorsmith
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Cryl
if someone shows up with slang like "dude,get the f out,iam here now,yooo wont rip my fkn lewt." or so..then i wont even reply,then i would even buff myself up and make sure that he doesnt even get the time to read the name of the mobs.
the called GM (by him) got no other choice to tell him to move elsewhere.
if ppl ask nice,its fine.if not..they wont get anywhere close to the part where iam on.
i dont,and will not care about a "warm response" ,i just clear the facts.and aslong as iam in the rules of SOE (and i will,thats for sure) its all fine to me.
in the matter of fact,its always nice to read that few words out of a half FAQ,what could help ppl to understand how to make use of the pets they use,if they afk/petgrind.instead of words,what dont even have to care anyone else then the player self.(what be written only to show,how SOE and the new rules handle problems.)
the called GM (by him) got no other choice to tell him to move elsewhere.
if ppl ask nice,its fine.if not..they wont get anywhere close to the part where iam on.
i dont,and will not care about a "warm response" ,i just clear the facts.and aslong as iam in the rules of SOE (and i will,thats for sure) its all fine to me.
in the matter of fact,its always nice to read that few words out of a half FAQ,what could help ppl to understand how to make use of the pets they use,if they afk/petgrind.instead of words,what dont even have to care anyone else then the player self.(what be written only to show,how SOE and the new rules handle problems.)
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Aerick-Fyonna
I have to agree with Cryl on this. If you are hunting/farming in a spot and have all the spawns under control and timed, and are not interfering with somebody's quest progression, and some nubcakes comes up and tells me to leave, I most certainly will not.
There are plenty of places less out of the way than where Cryl was with just as easy content and similar loot. If we bow down every time somebody comes along and demands we leave just so they can farm, probably AFK, we will get the reputation of being easy to roll over.
Now if the guy had asked nicely to claim a corner or even up to half, then I don't think it's unreasonable to ask that RID members share. This was obviously not the case, and the GM was right to have the other player move on and allow Cryl to remain.
There are plenty of places less out of the way than where Cryl was with just as easy content and similar loot. If we bow down every time somebody comes along and demands we leave just so they can farm, probably AFK, we will get the reputation of being easy to roll over.
Now if the guy had asked nicely to claim a corner or even up to half, then I don't think it's unreasonable to ask that RID members share. This was obviously not the case, and the GM was right to have the other player move on and allow Cryl to remain.
Aerick-Fyonna wrote:I have to agree with Cryl on this. If you are hunting/farming in a spot and have all the spawns under control and timed, and are not interfering with somebody's quest progression, and some nubcakes comes up and tells me to leave, I most certainly will not.
There are plenty of places less out of the way than where Cryl was with just as easy content and similar loot. If we bow down every time somebody comes along and demands we leave just so they can farm, probably AFK, we will get the reputation of being easy to roll over.
Now if the guy had asked nicely to claim a corner or even up to half, then I don't think it's unreasonable to ask that RID members share. This was obviously not the case, and the GM was right to have the other player move on and allow Cryl to remain.
That is all I asked. I would not expect anyone to surrender to the demands of anyone, but if someone asks nicely, then their request should be met with respect and kindness in return.
I would have clarified earlier but I did not for reasons I will not disclose. Either way, it is obvious there was much more to the situation than was given here.
swtor: Aeroxis
Apium Auvair- Master Medic
Kalice- Master Architect
Aurelie Auvair- Jedi Master
Victoire Auvair- Master Armorsmith
Apium Auvair- Master Medic
Kalice- Master Architect
Aurelie Auvair- Jedi Master
Victoire Auvair- Master Armorsmith
Jaysont wrote:Apium wrote:I would have clarified earlier but I did not for reasons I will not disclose.
i told u, u gotta stop smoking dat shit.
go away, before I start deleting your posts
swtor: Aeroxis
Apium Auvair- Master Medic
Kalice- Master Architect
Aurelie Auvair- Jedi Master
Victoire Auvair- Master Armorsmith
Apium Auvair- Master Medic
Kalice- Master Architect
Aurelie Auvair- Jedi Master
Victoire Auvair- Master Armorsmith
"Example #1: A large group of players are camped in one part of the Dantari Village on Dantooine, killing the villagers with pets and macros while AFK. As before, they have left the rest of the village open for other players, but their group is so large it is lagging the zone, so that other players cannot hunt in the same area. The interference created by the lag is an unacceptable disruption."
Hmm, that exact thing happened to me tonight. I wouldn't have minded some lag if they weren't 15m from a collection item, and just as I finally got to it, I was booted from server, logged back on to the inside of a cloning facility. The worst thing though was seeing 2 RID tags (withholding names though). The policy has been batted around enough on these forums for people to know better than get into a large bunch with your pets out and spam attack commands to your pet all night long.
Hmm, that exact thing happened to me tonight. I wouldn't have minded some lag if they weren't 15m from a collection item, and just as I finally got to it, I was booted from server, logged back on to the inside of a cloning facility. The worst thing though was seeing 2 RID tags (withholding names though). The policy has been batted around enough on these forums for people to know better than get into a large bunch with your pets out and spam attack commands to your pet all night long.
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Cryl
this spot is covered,the mobs r yellow..means no aggro on sight
the lag is a part what you have to handle by urself,you cannt simple rush into such a spot,you have to slow forward,until everything is cached.(memorywise)
in that special matter,the GM will not,and i repeat,will not remove 30-40 ppl to give one his collection,because of a bad computer.
for now..its in the middle of the night for you guys,here r atleast 6 RID members.but that wont matter at all,its possible to get the item,and that is the fact,the gm will not interact,just because someone rushs into such a szene..
few tips.
1.if you know about a grind spot,slow the details down to a min.
2.move stepwise forward
3.they are not agro,if you dont attack.
4.if its a groundcollection,you can simple move forward to the item,activate it.(in case you have aggro now,you can drain them in the macroing ppl ,thats ok,they use useful macros what can handle a few more)then take your item and be happy.
5.if you cant make ur computer halfway to a useful setup ,you should just wait until the next down,place your character around the spot(even the planet will be enough) ..such a group needs several hours to form,and will not split until next serverdown.means then is the time to collect the items.
soe will and is not going to act against them on this spot,for the mobside..its easy ,there r more then one places to get this drops,for the groundcollections,you simple have to have a useful computer,with useful setups,with the min details,names off,min farsight,its pretty easy.
in case you still wanne do for ticket,just go on ,but dont be disappointed,if nothing happens.the things i wrote here,work,and normaly a gm will come up with the same suggestions.
/edit ,what i mean, and write, isnt mean to get you angry, or provocate, its simple factwise, i write basicly as good as i know english,but i dont care much about the "friendly language" then more the informative side.
but the written facts work, and should help you to get that one item.if you still have questions or probs,you can always talk to me ingame,my char is on (and in fact there,and can help you to remove the agro you get around them,just tell me once or twice,tell i notice even if iam working right now,but that pc is always in sight.i should notice it pretty short n fast enough.),as well as i noticed that atleast 6 ppl r not afk here,and that makes it even more dificult,means if ppl reply,the macro-afk part doesnt fit,and the gm will after talking to one of this ppl,count this as solved,so make use of this few hints,to get the item,and if it still doesnt work,leave me a message (/tell or i.g.mail,and then you should get it)
regards cryl
the lag is a part what you have to handle by urself,you cannt simple rush into such a spot,you have to slow forward,until everything is cached.(memorywise)
in that special matter,the GM will not,and i repeat,will not remove 30-40 ppl to give one his collection,because of a bad computer.
for now..its in the middle of the night for you guys,here r atleast 6 RID members.but that wont matter at all,its possible to get the item,and that is the fact,the gm will not interact,just because someone rushs into such a szene..
few tips.
1.if you know about a grind spot,slow the details down to a min.
2.move stepwise forward
3.they are not agro,if you dont attack.
4.if its a groundcollection,you can simple move forward to the item,activate it.(in case you have aggro now,you can drain them in the macroing ppl ,thats ok,they use useful macros what can handle a few more)then take your item and be happy.
5.if you cant make ur computer halfway to a useful setup ,you should just wait until the next down,place your character around the spot(even the planet will be enough) ..such a group needs several hours to form,and will not split until next serverdown.means then is the time to collect the items.
soe will and is not going to act against them on this spot,for the mobside..its easy ,there r more then one places to get this drops,for the groundcollections,you simple have to have a useful computer,with useful setups,with the min details,names off,min farsight,its pretty easy.
in case you still wanne do for ticket,just go on ,but dont be disappointed,if nothing happens.the things i wrote here,work,and normaly a gm will come up with the same suggestions.
/edit ,what i mean, and write, isnt mean to get you angry, or provocate, its simple factwise, i write basicly as good as i know english,but i dont care much about the "friendly language" then more the informative side.
but the written facts work, and should help you to get that one item.if you still have questions or probs,you can always talk to me ingame,my char is on (and in fact there,and can help you to remove the agro you get around them,just tell me once or twice,tell i notice even if iam working right now,but that pc is always in sight.i should notice it pretty short n fast enough.),as well as i noticed that atleast 6 ppl r not afk here,and that makes it even more dificult,means if ppl reply,the macro-afk part doesnt fit,and the gm will after talking to one of this ppl,count this as solved,so make use of this few hints,to get the item,and if it still doesnt work,leave me a message (/tell or i.g.mail,and then you should get it)
regards cryl
Ok, let's go for more "fact-wise" information. SOE has a policy stating that if you are lagging down a zone, you are in violation. Period.
As far as the yellow mobs go, remember that even if they are "non-agro", they will still attack you if they don't like you...you will find out if you kill enough of them. And people should not have to drop their settings down to a minimum (mine already are) just to go and get a collection item if they don't want. That large group is infringing on other peoples' play, and according to SOE, that isn't allowed.
You seem to be an expert at what SOE's policy is. Actually, you seem to be an expert in many areas but I just don't think so. I see so many holes in your theories. All I am saying is that when SOE puts out a policy, you should follow it. Don't push the envelope. Follow it to the letter. It is a very simple thing to do if you think about it...go to a place where there isn't collection item, and don't have such a large group that you lag up the zone.
As far as the yellow mobs go, remember that even if they are "non-agro", they will still attack you if they don't like you...you will find out if you kill enough of them. And people should not have to drop their settings down to a minimum (mine already are) just to go and get a collection item if they don't want. That large group is infringing on other peoples' play, and according to SOE, that isn't allowed.
You seem to be an expert at what SOE's policy is. Actually, you seem to be an expert in many areas but I just don't think so. I see so many holes in your theories. All I am saying is that when SOE puts out a policy, you should follow it. Don't push the envelope. Follow it to the letter. It is a very simple thing to do if you think about it...go to a place where there isn't collection item, and don't have such a large group that you lag up the zone.