So apparently a bunch of anons are throwing fits about how they now have to re-VPN into Japan to renew their tokens for KanColle… It’s due to this week’s update that rolled out a system that requires that the JS on the DMM site renews the API token every set number of requests (“ticks”).

Of course the shitstorm (or even hurricane) was imminent when anons realized they can’t use their API keys forever anymore. Especially when some smartass pointed out that this update happened just two weeks after /a/’s favorite target of hate, Commie published their unofficial translation patch for the client. Let me quote: “Even the chinese are blaming commie, this is a international thing now.”^[src]

The Chinese have much reason to hate commies, but not Commie. The new update isn’t aimed at people using accessories like KanColle Viewer or Commie’s patch. It’s aimed at the (apparently) massive number of botters and cheaters. As for the former, there are clients out there with quite a lot of settings to conceal their presence, that automate certain jobs (expeditions, leveling, sparkling). As for the latter, some people for example managed to hack 46cm battleship cannons on plain little destroyers.

Even if it’s a countermeasure from the developers that effectively locks (locked, at least, since at this point the validity of the API keys was made way longer) out foreigners, I doubt it would be directly aimed at you. The western audience of KanColle is just too small to be significant – and the official twitter mentions cheaters as the reason, while earlier (after a DDoS incident in October) they said that their first priority would be dealing with cheaters and botters, and handling weird connections (customized clients etc) is a much lesser priority.

But obviously it’s easier to blame it all on Commie’s translation. A modded client that didn’t effect the gameplay whatsoever, only translated texts. A modded client that wasn’t even available for two whole weeks (taken down because the coder couldn’t be arsed to deal with the new API renewal scheme) and was used by less than 500 people (in the pool of almost 2 million total KC players). Don’t even consider that allowing people to use the same static API key without limits in an unsecure channel posed quite a security risk pointed out by Japanese, and also allowed room for botters, (presumably) resulting in heavy server loads.

It doesn’t even have to occur to you that you’re not even supposed to be playing the game at all from outside Japan, and that alone constitutes a ToS violation that could potentially get you banned. However, if you can’t even manage to sustain a VPN to Japan (through Tor, a VPS or any other means), then I can’t help but doubt your dedication to your shipdaughters. But hey, keep on blaming Commie, the unanimously elected targets of hatred without reason.