No, recently, as in end of January recently:
Not on consoles they don’t.
We both play ranked, and often together, in both OQ and RQ, our roles have vastly differing SR (his tank, my dps, both mid gold-low plat), either of us trying to play on the others account should be considered smurfing right? That’s why we don’t anymore, hense why I bought my own account. From what you’ve said, my sons account is a smurf account, even with it being level 2300+, and mine almost level 300 would be the main account, sometimes he uses my computer while I’m at work (10+ hours a day 5 days a week) simply because mine doesn’t screen lag, or overheat, so linking hardware to an account in our case, would be greatly detrimental to his, or my own playing. Linking a phone number to an account would really be the only TRUE solution without smurfs paying hundreds or more per month for different phone numbers, sure both e-mails are mine, but the phone numbers would be mine and his, since a second phone for myself would just be silly.
Phone numbers are trivial to fake. You’d need to upgrade his computer if that’s a huge problem. I believe the integrity of ranked play is much more important than the inconvenience of individual player and their individual situations. It’s like any other sport – if you want to play competitive, you have to pony up.
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His upgrade is coming, but for the foreseeable future, linking phones to account, specifically cell phones, and enforcing the authenticator would drastically reduce the amount of smurfs, and ult accounts, but that would also be a massive bankloss for Blizzard, so it will never happen. If you link accounts to an authenticator, using a cellphone with said authenticator to allow the app to launch(like you require for the t500) it would solve massive amounts of problems due to smurfs and ults.
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You can fake phone numbers and forward them with GREAT EASE. It’s not a secure system. That’s why we don’t use it in casinos. Blizzard wouldn’t lose any money, people are free to create as many accounts as they want. Just no comp with them.
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Yes phone numbers can be faked, just like you can fool the system into believing 2 accounts can’t be linked to the same computer, its the same bag of worms, forcing the authenticator EVERYTIME someone logs in would become a hassle for said smurfs/alt accounts. Eventually changing phone numbers/phones in general would get boring, or annoying, stopping the smurf from logging on to an account well below where they play.
I might be wrong, but I truly believe this would help in the long run.
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This is what jeff said
"Starting a new account is not against the rules. Boosting or throwing is against the rules.
If you start a new account and play normally, the matchmaker determines your skill level very quickly and matches you with similar players."
As long as they are not throwing games and as long as they arent boosting other players
They are not breaking rules. Also he has never said its cheating.
To the stocks with them!
saul goodman couldn‘t have said it better!
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I think most people don’t mind the people making a new account and trying to win as much as the people who purposefully stay at low ranks to stomp on weaker players just for the luls. At least that’s what I mean when I say smurf.
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also shoud be done with hardstucks, bc only hardstucks will complain about smurfs, and hardstucking is not a competitive approach. So I give you 2 weeks to reform or ban. Your rank should be at least diamond to avoid the ban.
Now that is the other half of the Problem, players like you and that toxic behavior calling players “Hardstuck”. Some players dont like cheating the system so they only have 1 account. The more games played on an older account, the greater the average mean of all stats become, which is harder to move out of. So if some prodigy was playing to start he/she gets into Masters, then gets diagnosed with arthritis, they can still play well but their performance is hindered and they drop some ranks because they cant play enough anymore, so they maintain high plat / low diamond, they got the shiniest Diamond border, you going to call them hardstuck? Of course an ignorant sob like you will. You got nothing better to do than be toxic to others to fill your e-peen ego.
Some players have a skill cap, or just dont care about the rank system because they know its pretty much failed / rigged as of now. But they still want fair games that are not titled to one side.
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LFG tool is proof enough that Smurfing is a problem
https://imgur.com/a/fyR6Dob
For real, I try to report throw groups in the LFG when I see them but the fact that they can exist show the big issue that exists.
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I’ve noticed that too. But we can’t really do anything about that.
When I notice we’re all over the place, I usually spam the “group up with me” button but most of the time, I get ignored.
He doesn’t have to. His game’s reporting system says it quite clearly.
You didn’t understand the message here, if you are looking for toxicity you’ll get it. Smurf - is a toxic callout aswell, I prefer “Dad” callout. Hardstuck is a term which is smurf but vice versa - that’s the message. What is the point of banning smurfs, w/o banning hardstucks? I think this game have “hardsucks” problem, they dont carry the game, they do almost to none contribution, nobody wants to play with them, but they are exists… what we gonna do with hardstucks? They don’t even buy accounts… they ruin my forum experience showing bad game approach, crying about smurfs which are just better players in general with additional options to travel through ranks.
I don’t think hardstucks are any problem to the game. They don’t reverse throw up to high ranks and suck there. Now I think there is a difference between what you’re calling “hardstuck” and just someone at low rank though so I’ll give you that. If you mean people who only blame smurfs for their rank and are just as prone to throwing/being toxic then I’m with you. But someone who might feel unlucky or be struggling at low ranks, there’s nothing wrong with them. In fact I think they have a point when they say that other players belittling them for their rank is just as bad.
You had me on your side until that. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask people who smurf to stick to their ranks, or at least just the rank immediately below them. I’ve had this debate with a few people but my main issue really is just with players who throw to stay at low ranks and really just troll for the luls.
Oh they do, and do hard man, you cant even imagine how global is this problem, but we cant talk about that, bc hardstucks are naturally suck at the game, and those smurfs are too good at the game…and this is wrong… smurfs should be punnished in favour of hardstucks. Do you smell the scent of a hypocrisity here? Bc I do.
Same unreasonable as to ask hardstucks to play better.
This one I can understand. This should be punnished, not playing for win.