What are the rules on farming Trading Cards?

[PXL]

Guys/Steam

Has it been clarified whether it is ok to farm these new Trading Cards?

I visited the Steam Marketplace and was very surprised to see so many Trading Cards already available. I then Googled the subject of farming them and discovered loads of people just idle their games for the common drops - kinda like TF2 items.

The issue I see with this is that the Trading Cards then lose their value/worth. The related badges then lose their value/worth too. Just like the achievement cheats have damaged the worth of achievements. Those of us who gain these virtual-trinkets the right way appear to be the foolish ones ...

So, Trading Card farming is ok?
TF2 item idling is ok?
Achievement cheating, is ok?

Any views, or clarifications?

[Marble]

Since you can only drop half a set of cards before they stop, you can't really farm them without making more game purchases. They did it this way to prevent farming.

TF2 item idling is OK, achievement cheating is frowned upon, but there isn't a rule that states you can't do it.

[Wolfman-RIP]

The cards should be worthless anyway or it just becomes a pay to level up a GAMING profile update.

You can't farm cards as the drops are limited to 1/10 of the cards needed to max out a games badge. The rest you will end up buying.

[Dark]

Actually there was a massive drop of fearie solitare keys on steamgifts if you manage to receive more than 1 key, you can pretty easy farm it.

[Kimcil Jahat!!]

give me dota2 card pls xD

[PXL]

Can't Valve implement a system for checking whether gamers are playing a game, or just idling for stats/cards/items?

Or even, should they?

[ KARR™]

Originally posted by leveller:

Can't Valve implement a system for checking whether gamers are playing a game, or just idling for stats/cards/items?
Or even, should they?

For cards there is no need. You are given a number of drop (eg: 5) and that is ALL YOU GET from that game... you can play for 2 hours, or leave it for 2 weeks... you will only get 5 drops. The only alternative is TF2 and Dota where you get an extra drop if you spend $9. But if you're spending that in the game, i'd expect you would be playing it for the 15 minutes it takes to get that extra card.

[DangerousRhetoric]

If you've got a bad feeling about it, then you probably shouldn't do it. If not, then go for it.

[Marble]

All the Steam client does is detect which game you're running and for how long. It has no way of knowing whether you're actually playing it or not. There is a fine line between fair authentication and outright snooping.

[PXL]

This guy has farmed Trading Cards and is currently earning real money for them, and also his achievement list stinks, check out March 4th.

http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198070056159/stats/TF2?tab=achievements

This kinda suggests to me that cheats are earning a living from these game items and that does not seem right.

I think Valve should put in place catchers for trapping these abusers before they put in a value system which is clearly being played by playas.

[ KARR™]

As has been said, you only get a finite number of cards dropped! He's a trader! He probably traded hats or metal for them (now tf2 items you CAN idle for!) They are more likely to earn money from farming TF2 items and getting keys and selling unusuals for hundreds of pounds than 100 cards for 30p each.

As for his achivements, its either going to be offline play that activated when he came online, a server that gives out achivements or SAM. Any of which Valve don;t currently care about.

[jinx!]

Wait, so if I leave my game open will I get trading cards?

[TirithRR]

Originally posted by AFK trding crd frming:

Wait, so if I leave my game open will I get trading cards?

If you have remaining card drops, yes. You can get cards as long as your game is running, whether or not you are actually playing it.

[rosspest]

"farming?" "the right way?" "cheats?" "abusers?"
If a person wants to "idle" a game to get the card drops that came with the game he purchased, I don't see or have a problem with that.
He is certainly not "cheating" in the game or "abusing" anyone if he's not even playing.
You problem seems to with the price of trading cards, and your concern that people who "idle" games are driving down the price.
I would offer the suggestion that having 1/2 of a set trading cards, would encourage people to purchase more cards to complete a set, however they got them.
The people that drive down the prices are those who sell cards, and those who buy them actually keep the price up.
To try and regulate if people were actually playing, could result in people getting in trouble for pausing a game if called away to supper, or to awnser the phone, if you were halfway to a point where you could save your progress.
Nobody makes money off of card drops, most all games cost more than the value of any card drops.
There is no "right way" to play a game. If you want to stop and enjoy the scenery, awnser nature's call and run to the tiolet, wipe the dusk off your monitor, or stop and contemplate why you just got killed 12 times in a row, then that is your business.

[TheeMan]

You can have more than 1 account and farm cards but you need a Game gift / key for each account.
if you do the work i see no reason why not.

[󠀡󠀡󠀡]

Why do people even care. The cards you get are locked for a week, so can't be sold immediately anyway.
It's bad enough that we have to wait 2 hours to get any cards to drop already. Most stupid decision ever. I get the whole refund scam thing, but if I have owned a game over a year, I am not eligible for a refund anyway, so why on earth do I still have to sit there for 2 hours.
And so what if you have multiple accounts? If you spend money on games you obviously have the rights to the cards. People keep forgetting to get cards from free to play games, you have to spend money as well.