Read this while perusing Tigresa drama I randomly stumbled over on the internet. Serious Business and all.

Are there more details? I started the topic here because I don't want to make a mess on the other boards.
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For us, the will of the Galaxy is absolute. The will of the Galaxy is clear! It rejects the human ambition to spread across the universe!

His FF6 FAQ was taken down for blatant plagiarism.
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~Karpah~ What do girls do during sex, anyways. They just lay there and moan a lot!

*Wants your user ID*

*Notes that his user ID happens to occur in a year, a month, and 21 days*

*Does not know anymore which ID he wants*

*Makes an obligatory "Hi, Dais" from our last run-in on the CIMA board, a long, long time ago*

Thanks for the quick reply, Tessa. I have to admit I was a bit wary - getting sane reactions on "social" boards seem to hit or miss, y'know?

hi Medafighter

waiting*is the hardest part :(



*for a worthwhile update to the Rune Factory page

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For us, the will of the Galaxy is absolute. The will of the Galaxy is clear! It rejects the human ambition to spread across the universe!

Heh, no problem. We're generally pretty down to earth and non-insane-like here. :)
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~Karpah~ What do girls do during sex, anyways. They just lay there and moan a lot!

Yeah. I wouldn't go by what other social boards would have responded to this topic. >_>

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Devin Morgan | CRP #3579
NES Completion Project: http://faqs.retronintendo.com

*Is also interested in Rune Factory at the moment*

His FF6 FAQ had some direct text ripping from a FF6 strategy guide back in the day. Only that guide was taken down, and fortunately no other submissions were taken down (usually all files of a plagiarizer are). It's for the good though IMO. His guides are still great for RPG fans out there.
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http://www.antseezee.com/ - Writer of 57 FAQs
[.-.] RIP Kao Megura ["-"]

Fortunately? Oh, okay. He's a plagiarist. All of his work should have been taken down, especially because this is hardly the first time he's gotten in trouble for such a thing.

It's BS really, and it's an insult to me and every other hard working writer who has ever put honest, pure effort into writing FAQs. If his work got taken down so would my Tales of Destiny FAQ which he finished for me after I abandoned it, and I STILL think his work should be taken down.

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Colin Moriarty IGN Freelance Guide Writer/Big Dork.
Current IGN Guide Project: The Godfather (Multi)

Very inta-restinque.
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The University of Texas Longhorns (13-0) National Champions

His works are good though, even if one of them was plagiarized.

The same situation happened with meFrog (Colin wasn't around when it happened). He had been caught of plagiarism, and one of his guides removed, yet almost all of his works remain. The fact of the matter is that some writers out there rock, even if they take poor-morale shortcuts.
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http://www.antseezee.com/ - Writer of 57 FAQs
[.-.] RIP Kao Megura ["-"]

[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

The above poster speaks truth.

[This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

Wait wait wait, me frog plagiarized!?

How did I miss this?
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If your boss ever gets you down, just stare at him through the prongs of a fork and imagine him in jail.
o.O Push button to turn on. Play with button to drive wild...

He was copying and pasting mission data from Devin and Astro's Final Fantasy Tactics Advance FAQ.

Wait wait wait, me frog plagiarized!?

How did I miss this?

I thought everyone who remembered it happening knew this?
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Life is full of irritations, and I'm just one of them. Get use to it and move on.

[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

And back to the topic, if you plagiarized in your FAQs, not only all your works should be removed, you should be IP banned as well. If someone can be banned just for making jokes, I certainly don't see why should we tolerate leechers in GameFaqs.
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--www.prepaidlegal.com. We made equal justice under law a reality in North America.

Hypro, why were you modded? I didn't see what was wrong with your post.

Anyway, I believe people should have a second chance. However, I think that if they get caught more than once all of their work should be taken down.

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"The story of life is quicker than the wink of an eye. The story of love is hello and goodbye. Until we meet again." - Jimi Hendrix

Some mods thought I was praising Adolf, whoever they were, they definitely could not read.
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--www.prepaidlegal.com. We made equal justice under law a reality in North America.

From: MTincher | Posted: 4/10/2006 10:25:11 PM | Message Detail

Anyway, I believe people should have a second chance

After each day has past, plagiarists have an extra chance to contact CJayC and request him taking the FAQ(s) down.
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--www.prepaidlegal.com. We made equal justice under law a reality in North America.

It would be stupid for CJayC to take down the non-plagiarized works, both me frog and PP wrote some excellent guides who help a lot of users, and why is GameFAQs here again? So even when we think it is wrong for all their FAQs to remain on GameFAQs, for CJayC it is better, he can help more users.
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Goku- Look Vegeta! People popcorn!
Vegeta- Ah! What is he on?!

I think one of the reasons for the "all FAQs removed" policy is because you have no way of knowing if the other guides posted by the same author are plagiarized or not. If someone has so little integrity as to rip off someone's work for one guide, who's to say they haven't done so for most of the guides? Nobody wants to sift through all the historical works and look for cheating, so a blanket removal is usually easier (and is supposed to act as a plagiarism deterrent as well).

Personally, I'd wager that by the time any long-time FAQer is caught copying, it's something that's been happening for a while. It starts with a data point here or there, but as the author continues to get away with it, he becomes lazy and takes even bigger shortcuts, like ripping text word for word. It's kind of like when Kobe Bryant was accused of rape. You know this wasn't the first groupie he was with; it was just the first time he was caught.

I also find it interesting how plagiarism always reveals where people's loyalties lie. When unpopular users like shark are caught plagiarizing, everyone jumps on the hate bandwagon and practically crucifies him. When more popular users (Psycho Penguin, Siniroth, me frog) get caught, everyone makes rationalizations and lightens up on the "despicable" rhetoric. Seems like this should be a pretty straight-forward issue of principles in all cases to me. If you abhor cheating when one writer does it, you should abhor cheating when any writer does it, even if that writer is your best friend.

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[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

From: The Admiral | Posted: 4/11/2006 12:42:45 AM | Message Detail
I even if that writer is your best friend.

If you consider someone on Internet your _best_ friend, I would recommend you jump off from the top of Empire State Building.
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--www.prepaidlegal.com. We made equal justice under law a reality in North America.

When did this happen anyway?
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I'm not a cynic. I'm just a realist.
http://70.86.201.113/imageserv2/temporary/PBF011ADHammerScrewed.html

Around the time DJ Tigresa got caught Masamune3, and The Admiral, I don't believe PP would have gotten away with it if he plagiarized other FAQs because some people kept a close watch on him anyway.

Btw, Shark463 and others like him were handled more harshly because they kept on posting here I presume, on the other hand I don't remember ever participating. And I believe in the past plagiarizers were given a second chance. (On the other hand, that doesn't count for PP in this case iirc)
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Goku- Look Vegeta! People popcorn!
Vegeta- Ah! What is he on?!

From: Space Medafighter X | Posted: 4/10/2006 11:14:36 PM | Message Detail
He was copying and pasting mission data from Devin and Astro's Final Fantasy Tactics Advance FAQ.

I can verify this as truth, too. I remember we found out about it, and myself/me frog chatted it up. I don't remember the exacts now, but it was along the lines of "do the work yourself, don't C&P from me". From the Credits of his guide:

Devin Morgan: Ahh... the irony in this chapter... if you know where to look.
Parts of the dispatch missions (cost, rewards, location, and duration) were used
as source from his guide (which can be found at
http://db.gamefaqs.com/portable/gbadvance/file/final_fantasy_tactics_advance_b.t
xt) Sorry about that little incedent... you know what I'm talking about. And
thanks for giving me a second chance :)

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Devin Morgan | CRP #3579
NES Completion Project: http://faqs.retronintendo.com

Btw, Shark463 and others like him were handled more harshly because they kept on posting here I presume, on the other hand I don't remember ever participating. And I believe in the past plagiarizers were given a second chance. (On the other hand, that doesn't count for PP in this case iirc)

That would be because he flat-out denied plagiarizing, even though it was proven.

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Devin Morgan | CRP #3579
NES Completion Project: http://faqs.retronintendo.com

That of course too. (I don't remember a lot from that period on GameFAQs :()
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Goku- Look Vegeta! People popcorn!
Vegeta- Ah! What is he on?!

And I believe in the past plagiarizers were given a second chance

In the past Texans could also own slaves.
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I hate trolls

With the difference that there hasn't been a law prohibiting us from giving people a second chance.
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Goku- Look Vegeta! People popcorn!
Vegeta- Ah! What is he on?!

That's why there should be such a law that if you plagiarize, ALL your works should be taken down; and you should be IP banned, or your user level would be forever shown as : Level 1337: Plagiarizer.
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I hate trolls

In the past Texans could also own slaves.

So could people in New York. But let's single out Texas for fun.
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The University of Texas Longhorns (13-0) National Champions

"That would be because he flat-out denied plagiarizing, even though it was proven."

Whether he denied it or not is irrelevant to the moral issue of plagiarizing. People weren't bashing him for the denial, they were bashing him by taking the high ground that plagiarism is utterly reprehensible. I didn't see any posts or smart ass BTB topics that ripped on him for being a liar. You can't cherry pick the reasons for flaming someone.
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IO never agreed with Chad on the whole bashing shark unprovoked, but shark did bring a lot of crap down on himself from others Johnny... Do I have to post the story of Shark463 AGAIN to remind everyone of what he did?
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68 FAQs for games never covered at www.GameFAQs.com.
Now with a NES FAQ for each letter of the alphabet!

I think most of us remember. Look, I'm not defending Shark one bit. He deserved to be flamed to high hell for what he did. My issue is that people flame him and then hide behind the moral shield of plagiarism, when really they dislike him as a person and the way the immature way he handled the whole issue.
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The Admiral
Posted 4/11/2006 2:12:45 PM
My issue is that people flame him and then hide behind the moral shield of plagiarism

Maybe Devin and BS, but not hypro.
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I hate trolls

I actually dislike his plagiarism mostly Johnny, the same way I showed no respect to me frog or Sini or even Steve (though he and I do not talk anymore, so that is a mkoot point). No generalizations please.
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68 FAQs for games never covered at www.GameFAQs.com.
Now with a NES FAQ for each letter of the alphabet!

IO never agreed with Chad on the whole bashing shark unprovoked,

The only problem I had with the constant cracks on Shark was it got old. We got the hint that he plagarizing, but beating a dead horse even deader was not necessary.
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Life is full of irritations, and I'm just one of them. Get use to it and move on.

I personally think he deserved what he got. He didn't own up to it even after he got caught.
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33/49 Full Circle | Y.T.W.S.R. |
The FAQer Profiles and History - http://homepages.tesco.net/vicky.reynolds1

Hell ya, I was banned only because I called someone useless high school dropout that begs money from his parent, and all plagiarists get is to have one of their FAQs taken down.
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I hate trolls

I wondered why the average IQ around here has gone up. Steve's no longer around to drag us down.
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I'm not a cynic. I'm just a realist.
http://70.86.201.113/imageserv2/temporary/PBF011ADHammerScrewed.html

I'm around, just barely. I love you too Masamune!
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Psycho Penguin rules!
SHABBA! - MDTerp4Life

I personally think he deserved what he got. He didn't own up to it even after he got caught.

I totally agree. I was one of the people riding shark at every opportunity as well. It's bad enough to plagiarize but to deny it in the face of proof is unforgivable.
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The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit.