Well, if we want to get technical the world 'limit' (without specifics) is too vague/broad to safely use in a contract. An advisor/auditor well versed in IT service delivery would tell you to expand on it or split the clause into 4-5 parts each detailing an aspect of the service, for example
- availability in terms of time (24/7, 24/5, 8/5 etc.)
- availability in terms of client location (country, IP subnet, IP address, blacklisted, whitelisted etc.)
- availability in terms of delivery channel (internet, intranet, mail pigeon etc.)
- availability of disaster recovery site, hot backup, cold backup etc.
- expected recovery times
- procedure for planned outages
- procedure for unplanned outages
- contact lists for specific issues
- etc.
Granted, stuff like the above I've only seen in professional contracts, not even Blizzard, SOE or NCSOFT have guarantees for service recovery times for their gaming customers. Which by the way nicely illustrates the state of gaming industry in this regard.
Oh! THIS COMMENT IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS COMMENT, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. Sorry, couldn't resist. :)
On the topic of multiple accounts per controlling person my opinion is that unless they are used in PvP or prevents other players from gathering sup mats I don't really see a problem, even if it would be 4+ accounts.
In the above two scenarios I'd say 1 account per person for PvP (unless both parties agree to have no limit in place in which case they should contact a CSR beforehand to avoid any misunderstanding) and 2 for supremes digging.
For supreme boss hunts I'm torn between imposing a limit or not. If there is no direct competition for the boss then I don't see a problem but if there is then I'd say PvP rules apply. Edit: By direct competition I mean the scenario when two (or more teams) are gathering for a supreme boss and both could realistically take down the boss on their own. If they do not want to work together and split the spoils then I'd go with PvP rules for the "nuke-race".
- availability in terms of time (24/7, 24/5, 8/5 etc.)
- availability in terms of client location (country, IP subnet, IP address, blacklisted, whitelisted etc.)
- availability in terms of delivery channel (internet, intranet, mail pigeon etc.)
- availability of disaster recovery site, hot backup, cold backup etc.
- expected recovery times
- procedure for planned outages
- procedure for unplanned outages
- contact lists for specific issues
- etc.
Granted, stuff like the above I've only seen in professional contracts, not even Blizzard, SOE or NCSOFT have guarantees for service recovery times for their gaming customers. Which by the way nicely illustrates the state of gaming industry in this regard.
Oh! THIS COMMENT IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS COMMENT, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. Sorry, couldn't resist. :)
On the topic of multiple accounts per controlling person my opinion is that unless they are used in PvP or prevents other players from gathering sup mats I don't really see a problem, even if it would be 4+ accounts.
In the above two scenarios I'd say 1 account per person for PvP (unless both parties agree to have no limit in place in which case they should contact a CSR beforehand to avoid any misunderstanding) and 2 for supremes digging.
For supreme boss hunts I'm torn between imposing a limit or not. If there is no direct competition for the boss then I don't see a problem but if there is then I'd say PvP rules apply. Edit: By direct competition I mean the scenario when two (or more teams) are gathering for a supreme boss and both could realistically take down the boss on their own. If they do not want to work together and split the spoils then I'd go with PvP rules for the "nuke-race".