Good points Phillip.
There are still many things that can be done, that really cannot be fixed until the client is totally rebuilt. Now that all the money making exploits have been removed, there is little that will affect anyone but the player doing them.
Does turning off water really hurt anyone?
( Not directly, but those that can fly over water may feel that a class defining aspect of their character is made cheap by bipeds doing things they should not be able to )
Does climbing steep cliffs or hills as a biped hurt anyone?
( No, but can cause jealousy and the same reaction as the first item I mentioned )
Does afk macroing to get to a rating of 250 hurt anyone?
( only if the person doing it steals mobs from other hunters, or causes others in the area hunting DP's )
Does afk crafting hurt anyone?
( can't see how. So what they get 19 classes to 100? its not like that will affect the economy or the game play of others )
We all like the idea of rules when it comes to controling others actions. We really hate rules when they can affect OUR actions. The truth of all this is, that AE and later TG did not bear in mind the effects of allowing these things to exist, nor were they quick to apply the "rules" evenly across the board. In reacting to the outcry about these exploits, they often made things worse, by acting way to late.
The ONLY party you can rightly blame for exploits existing is the developer that allowed them to exist. You can say that those that take advantage of them are bad, but that a bit disengenuous, when we all have wished we could offset the grind or tedium in some manner. Shoot, some things that have been mentioned here, were things players thought were ok, even getting the ok from a dev. So, before we go and villify anyone, make sure YOU have not tried even ONE of these yourself, even by accident.
