XP Bonus

[Rogean]

Due to no certain circumstances (coughsonyonlinehackedcough), I have decided to throw in a 25% EXP Bonus for a day or two.

Enjoy.

[maximum]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/05/sony-online-games-attack-hacker.html

[Nurio]

Yes! Exp bonus just as I'm starting to really level. Thanks, Rogean!



Concerning the SOE account compromises, Sony is saying that just user info and not actual credit card data is possibly compromised at this point for US customers. Unfortunately, for non-US customers they are up a creek and probably compromised as well.

The latest full Response to the hacked account issue is below:

May 2, 2011
Dear Valued Sony Online Entertainment Customer:
Our ongoing investigation of illegal intrusions into Sony Online Entertainment systems has discovered that hackers may have obtained personal customer information from SOE systems. We are today advising you that the personal information you provided us in connection with your SOE account may have been stolen in a cyber-attack. Stolen information includes, to the extent you provided it to us, the following: name, address (city, state, zip, country), email address, gender, birthdate, phone number, login name and hashed password.

Customers outside the United States should be advised that we further discovered evidence that information from an outdated database from 2007 containing approximately 12,700 non-US customer credit or debit card numbers and expiration dates (but not credit card security codes) and about 10,700 direct debit records listing bank account numbers of certain customers in Germany, Austria, Netherlands and Spain may have also been obtained - we will be notifying each of those customers promptly.

There is no evidence that our main credit card database was compromised. It is in a completely separate and secured environment.

We had previously believed that SOE customer data had not been obtained in the cyber-attacks on the company, but on May 1st we concluded that SOE account information may have been stolen and we are notifying you as soon as possible.

We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the attack and as a result, we have:

1) Temporarily turned off all SOE game services;

2) Engaged an outside, recognized security firm to conduct a full and complete investigation into what happened; and

3) Quickly taken steps to enhance security and strengthen our network infrastructure to provide you with greater protection of your personal information.

We greatly appreciate your patience, understanding and goodwill as we do whatever it takes to resolve these issues as quickly and efficiently as practicable.

For your security, we encourage you to be especially aware of email, telephone, and postal mail scams that ask for personal or sensitive information. Sony will not contact you in any way, including by email, asking for your credit card number, social security number or other personally identifiable information. If you are asked for this information, you can be confident Sony is not the entity asking. When SOE's services are fully restored, we strongly recommend that you log on and change your password. Additionally, if you use your Station or SOE game account name or password for other unrelated services or accounts, we strongly recommend that you change them, as well.

To protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss, we encourage you to remain vigilant, to review your account statements and to monitor your credit reports. We are providing the following information for those who wish to consider it:

U.S. residents are entitled under U.S. law to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free (877) 322-8228.

We have also provided names and contact information for the three major U.S. credit bureaus below. At no charge, U.S. residents can have these credit bureaus place a "fraud alert" on your file that alerts creditors to take additional steps to verify your identity prior to granting credit in your name. This service can make it more difficult for someone to get credit in your name. Note, however, that because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect you, it also may delay your ability to obtain credit while the agency verifies your identity. As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud alerts on your file. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, or should you have any questions regarding your credit report, please contact any one of the agencies listed below.

Experian: 888-397-3742; www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
Equifax: 800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
TransUnion: 800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

You may wish to visit the web site of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft or reach the FTC at 1-877-382-4357 or 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580 for further information about how to protect yourself from identity theft. Your state Attorney General may also have advice on preventing identity theft, and you should report instances of known or suspected identity theft to law enforcement, your State Attorney General, and the FTC. For North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; telephone (877) 566-7226; or www.ncdoj.gov. For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; telephone: (888) 743-0023; or www.oag.state.md.us.

We are committed to helping our customers protect their personal data and we will provide a complimentary offering to assist users in enrolling in identity theft protection services and/or similar programs. The implementation will be at a local level and further details will be made available shortly in regions in which such programs are commonly utilized.

We thank you for your patience as we complete our investigation of this incident, and we regret any inconvenience. Our teams are working around the clock on this, and services will be restored as soon as possible. Sony takes information protection very seriously and will continue to work to ensure that additional measures are taken to protect personally identifiable information. Providing quality and secure entertainment services to our customers is our utmost priority. Please contact us at 1 (866) 436-6698 should you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,
Sony Online Entertainment LLC

[Austrianna]

*dances a jig*

Why thank you!

[Nineran]

(Sneaks over to Fippydarkpaw forums)

"Hey folks! Know what server isn't down?!

[Dantes]

Ha! Awesome.

[Baa]

Currently level 40 so bonus exp is great! However I am busy for the next 2 days so no playtime for me...

[Seaweedpimp]

Currently level 40 so bonus exp is great! However I am busy for the next 2 days so no playtime for me...

Pls just stfu

[Rogean]

(Sneaks over to Fippydarkpaw forums)

"Hey folks! Know what server isn't down?!

One thread is fine over there, don't spam it, don't post in other threads about it, but be ready for replies from all the people playing TLP now that got banned from here.

[Drieddead]

always xp bonuses when im working 12 hour shifts... :(

[Greenkrak]

Man i cant wait till my titanium arrives!

o everquest how i miss you DAM!!

cant wait to join p99

[Baa]

Pls just stfu

Snapped... I will go back to my corner now!

[Shrubwise]

Exp bonus, shmeexp shmonus!

Druids still can't sit while in wolf form! This is preposterous!!! Outrage!

[Haul]

Due to no certain circumstances (coughsonyonlinehackedcough), I have decided to throw in a 25% EXP Bonus for a day or two.

Enjoy.

I support this.

[Aicha]

Day off. Time to EQ until my eyes bleed. Thanks. :p

[Dr4z3r]

Man i cant wait till my titanium arrives!

o everquest how i miss you DAM!!

cant wait to join p99

Jeez, buying these games can be a real pain, huh? Well, I suppose it's better than the alternative, because it costs quite a bit to rrent it!

[jyaku]

have you decided when it will end rogean?

[Delik]

Bonus xp should stay on until SOE servers come back up!

[Seaweedpimp]

Bonus xp should stay on until SOE servers come back up!

Lol ;)

[FatMagic]

I hope this is still happening for the rest of tonite and tomorrow! Wewt!

[h0tr0d (shaere)]

I love this, but I had an idea. On live we would get potions with charges for bonus exp, so people who worked certain days or traveled etc would not miss out also. Whatcha think?

[Jigga]

play live

[h0tr0d (shaere)]

Try not to be so helpful.

[Ronas]

play everquest

[guineapig]

I love this, but I had an idea. On live we would get potions with charges for bonus exp, so people who worked certain days or traveled etc would not miss out also. Whatcha think?

I hear ya, I have missed just about every xp bonus weekend the server has had. Luckily I got to log in tonight and yesterday.

[Tasslehofp99]

I'd rather the exp bonus be for the occasion of Osama bin Laden's death:eek:

[Rogean]

SOE will be down until Friday at the earliest... so XP Bonus will last until... Friday, at the earliest :P

[Shiftin]

I've spent 44 hours camping the pained soul over the last week, can i trade my exp bonus for his spawn?

[Temig]

SOE will be down until Friday at the earliest... so XP Bonus will last until... Friday, at the earliest :P

<3
Noting that you're in MA... If you're anywhere near me I'll gladly buy you a beer =P

[h0tr0d (shaere)]

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining. And usually I don't miss the bonuses. I was just thinking of the people who did.

[Pezmerga]

SOE will be down until Friday at the earliest... so XP Bonus will last until... Friday, at the earliest :P

YEAH!
I haven't cheered or celebrated this much since the death of Osama Bin Laden!

[Cantheron]

Woot! they have had some serious shit happen to them!

[RussMac316]

Is this still going on? :D

[Jozz]

^^^?

[Netherdark]

The post is still stickied and the comment is still on the server MOTD, so I would assume so. I don't have any accounts with Sony to see if they are still down though.

[Rottening]

The post is still stickied and the comment is still on the server MOTD, so I would assume so. I don't have any accounts with Sony to see if they are still down though.

Honestly...it can, and likely will be weeks.

[erwani]

Wow and I thought it was just my very own personnal "welcome back to EQ1" housewarming gift :D

Level 30 characters must be dancing the jig.

/cheers

[Dannermax]

I love this, but I had an idea. On live we would get potions with charges for bonus exp, so people who worked certain days or traveled etc would not miss out also. Whatcha think?


It was exactly this kind of convinience, that made me bummed out when i tried EQ live last year.. Everything had become too easy. You could even get exp boosting potions.. What the hell man?? I leveled easily to lvl 65.. And what is the challenge in that?

But at the P99 server ive been playing ALOT.. And im only lvl 22.. Now this is challenging!! So please dont change anything.. :-)

[Deathrydar]

It was exactly this kind of convinience, that made me bummed out when i tried EQ live last year.. Everything had become too easy. You could even get exp boosting potions.. What the hell man?? I leveled easily to lvl 65.. And what is the challenge in that?

But at the P99 server ive been playing ALOT.. And im only lvl 22.. Now this is challenging!! So please dont change anything.. :-)

I am not a fan of a long term experience bonus. It's ok for a few days to increase population and what not, but to keep it for any longer than that is going down the path that Sony took. It may also frustrate new players later on that became used to leveling quicker.

[BuzWeaver]

SOE will be down until Friday at the earliest... so XP Bonus will last until... Friday, at the earliest :P

Can we anticipate the experience bonus to last the duration of the down time?

[discordkitty]

Can we anticipate the experience bonus to last the duration of the down time?

Sony's already said hopefully by May 31st, but that's not even a guarantee ... I wouldn't expect the xp bonus here to go that long ;)

[Deathrydar]

Sony's already said hopefully by May 31st, but that's not even a guarantee ... I wouldn't expect the xp bonus here to go that long ;)

I would hope not....

[Myrhh]

While I understand it's not classic. having the exp bonus now while new folks are coming in is a pretty good thing because it will level them up and get them more involved in their character which in turns mean they want to stay and play here which in turn means more donations and a bigger community... win win..

[Nineran]

I really appreciate the bonus. I think many people may be in the same boat where the missed a big chunk of the bonus, and the Easter bonus. So its nice to have a bonus in for a bit longer so we can actually take advantage of it. If you are finding you have been able to take advantage of so much of the bonus that it is making it to easy. Please take others advice and take some time off from the game while its in place, because many of us have not gotten to take full advantage of it and appreciate the duration.