There's no real way of stopping people though. By IP banning others that essentially just blocks people who aren't in the know. Anyone with even a minuscule/non-existent amount of technical skill can get around it. The only solution would be to ban all discovered alts which doesn't make Badspot any money. It might suck in some people's mind but it's pretty frugal for him.
Since the concern is mainly about people skipping temporary bans, eg 1-week bans, then why not just take the approach of a zero-tolerance to Alts during that time-frame then?
I get that it would be difficult to stop alts cropping back up and all from permanent bans. So I wouldn't even bother trying to ban alts of those.
But if someone purchases another account for a week-long ban, and it is most obviously an Alt, such as being [Username]2, then they should ban that Alt.
If the username isn't identical, but they make it pain-stakingly clear that they are an alt, they should be banned.
That way, people would either not admit to being an Alt. So they would just be a stupid account that weirdly appears for 1 week.
Or they would have to purchase more Alts and put more money into Badspots pocket.
Or they would put up with their punishment like a good little boy.
I'll be honest. I don't overly give a stuff if someone has an Alt on the forums so long as they don't admit it, or don't have an obvious "#2" name.
If they're just an Alt with a completely different reputation on these forums, then that's punishment enough when a lot of people here seem to get ego-boosts out of being known or being prominent on the forums.
And if they happen to do the same thing as before, then they still get banned, and they can repeat the procedure of inserting another $20 into this online Arcade machine.
I just really don't like the idea that rule-breakers can come back after being banned and then flaunt the fact that they're back.
That's what is the slap in the face to all the normal members who follow the rules.
It used to be that if you were banned, you weren't proud of it. And you most certainly wouldn't come out with admitting that you were the Alt of a previously banned user. Not without leaving a very long gap in time between ban and return/reveal.
If people have no shame in being banned or don't even feel punished, then what's the use in it? It's like flailing a newspaper at an annoying fly that keeps coming back, rather than putting down some fly-paper.
