It is possible to recognize the usage of vpn/proxy in most cases, but it won't change the fact you will have no information about the real location (only that it is spoofed). And on top of what you mentioned, I'd add that even with a direct connection when you determine the real location you are usually limited to a country only. That is the case for country-wide and world-wide providers as they usually assign addresses dynamically. To give an example, when I check my own location by my IP all services show random Polish cities and never the actual one (and the IP changes once a day). Then we can continue with account sharing behind the same router (quite common back in the days, e.g. Eternal Oblivion) to which you will be powerless here. Also people using various connections (e.g. home internet but sometimes mobile internet), people moving between cities, even countries, changing providers. On the other hand, local providers often have networks in which the whole residential area may share one IP. I mean all of the above is very common, I come across these things everyday when I x-ray players. No extreme scenarios involved.
If anyone thinks he can determine account trades on a
larger scale with high efficiency and low margin of mistakes just by IP, he's utterly clueless. Not even in law IP connects to a person that easily, it's merely an outside address of your last router. The right authorities will be able to track the specific router (ofc assuming it's not spoofed), which an OT is not, but even they may be unable to connect certain activity to a real person. So when someone tells you IP can identify a person easily, you already know he's an ignoramus.
Identity verifications applied by services 'slightly bigger' than an OT involve sending scans of ID card, connecting bank accounts and other invasive methods, but then there's a smart otland guy who comes up with a bulletproof solution: CHECK THE IP xD And even if you were to verify players these ways, ask for their ID scans etc. (I don't have to say how troublesome and unrealistic it is for an OT), it still wouldn't stop account sharing.
The conclusion is that you can forbid account sharing for the sake of principle but you won't be able to enforce it properly, just as cip did but wasn't able (one recording doesn't change this fact). I understand why someone may still want to forbid it and atleast ban those several accounts he can. But thinking one can enforce it with a substantial efficiency and realistic cost for an OT is simply delusional.
Anyway, the above wasn't even the subject. The discussion originally was narrowed to cipsoft and old Tibia: whether they were able to ban the most of account traders/sharers, as that harry guy claimed xD
For anyone who played back then and has two braincells the answer is obvious.
As I said he thinks he's a smartass here but he clearly has no clue about old Tibia, lacks technical knowledge (the very basics of the topic), and most importantly any common sense. + he insults people rather than refer to what they say.
There is no point in continuing this dispute other than that the thread is constantly refreshed. So let's continue talking