Talk:Age of Empires Online

Link to blackhat page

There has been a protracted edit war about a link to a blackhat page that includes a description of a hack for this game. This is not how we resolve disputes on Wikipedia. I suggest both parties review our reliable sources guide and discuss on this page so we can arrive at a consensus on this problem. This page has been semi protected in the meantime, and will further steps will be taken if there are more problems. I would also suggest reviewing our dispute resolution guide. TNXMan 11:36, 28 June 2011 (UTC)

Information and link to blackhat page should remain

The author of the "Age of Empires Online Cheats" page (http://www.esrun.co.uk/blog/age-of-empires-online-cheats/) which was cited as a source for game cheats and the disclosure of the games' third civilization is well known in the Age of Empires online forums and has a clear understanding of the game and subject in general. As such, the author/source should be considered as authoritative.

The source in question has been mentioned on the official Age of Empires online forums and confirmed as legitimate. The screenshots have also been confirmed as legitimate by a member of Gas Powered Games, one of the developers of the game. The source is not only accurate, but directly supports the information that was added to the article.

If you look at the history of the IP addresses which keep removing the information, you'll notice they belong to Microsoft. You'll also notice that they leave a note with every edit they make to other articles, but they never leave any note or explanation when removing the information from this article.

Trying to cover up the fact that cheats are available for Age of Empires online is not a legitimate reason for removing the information from the article. This isn't China and trying to hide information doesn't mean it never happened.

Unless they can provide a legitimate reason for removing this information, I suggest that the information remains.

178.16.22.13 (talk) 03:13, 29 June 2011 (UTC)

None of the sources you have listed are reliable sources as Wikipedia defines them. Unless you have significant third-party coverage, I see no reason to include information about the hack. You may also want to read our information on original research and why it is not permitted. TNXMan 14:59, 29 June 2011 (UTC)

Edit request from CelticPeon, 29 June 2011

Please add the following content to the bottom of the article. It was removed in an abusive edit by a Microsoft IP, see talk page for more info.

Content to be added:

On June 20, 2011, in a blog post by a blackhat SEO, it was revealed that players can cheat at the online game. by modifying a configuration file in the games startup directory. The third civilization was also revealed as being Celtic.

CelticPeon (talk) 03:30, 29 June 2011 (UTC)

Blogs aren't reliable sources, and cheat information has no place in an article (and even less so cheats of a beta version). Amalthea 06:32, 29 June 2011 (UTC)