Attention devs: Game Surveillance Unit re: open world Bots.

[ToffeeCoffee]

This is a call to the devs to give the GSU a well deserved talking to about their lack of effort when it comes to actioning open world bot reports. People think it takes them a while to investigate or often question whether the accusations of running automated tools have merit, irrespective of this the harsh reality is that they aren't banning these bots at all.

I've been in back and forth discussions with GM's about this, they've told me their hands are tied, they can't make the GSU do anything other than escalate to their attention. Their advice was to create a complaint forum post under General Discussion which will hopefully alert the right people to take action. No naming and shaming allowed or forum ban will result.

As I've said in other posts, I have reported the same 4 bots on Tonberry and their spiritbond gear crafter every single day, sometimes twice a day, for over 2 months and they are still online right now happily botting away.

I'll be updating this thread with details, screenshots and hopefully video footage when I get time (as it would be pretty sad if I spent more time on this than actually playing the game).

[Spot]

I just gave up reporting them. I'm starting to think that they are not banning them just because of there are so many that it would hurt sub profits. Some of the same ones that have been around for half a year or more are still here. It seems like there isn't a single zone that doesn't have a few at any given time.

[Niqote]

I don't know if they are using the same tactic here.... but I remember long ago in FFXI SE made a statement saying that they were going to use a particular ban style.

One where they basically watched the account to be banned for a long time, gathered info on where all the gil etc was going - then when it had accumulated a great accomplishment of Gil or such - then is when they banned them.

They said something like... causing more devastation to the account this way deters the behavior from happening again or something... again I don't have a clue if they kept using the strategy or if they use it here... but its something to think about.

[ToffeeCoffee]

I'd like to believe there is a concerted effort going on in the background where they are hitting bot runners and gil sellers where it hurts but it seems to be just a pipe dream.

[Lexxuk]

That's a silly way of looking at it. By leaving it a while for them to accumulate and sell the gil, they make enough money to continue buying new accounts. If they were very fast in banning the RMT accounts, the accounts would end up losing the RMT money and they would either change their tactics or go broke (hopefully the latter).

Put it another way, RMT is watched for 1 month, over that month they make 2m a day so say 60m gil. They sell half of it at... /checks chat log.... $5 per million, that is $150. Account gets shut down and they buy another game for $50 and still have $100 profit.

Ban them before they can sell the gil, they still have to buy the game but they haven't sold any gil to fund that purchase (eventually they will ban all the accounts the RMT steal....).

[Chasely]

That's a silly way of looking at it. By leaving it a while for them to accumulate and sell the gil, they make enough money to continue buying new accounts. If they were very fast in banning the RMT accounts, the accounts would end up losing the RMT money and they would either change their tactics or go broke (hopefully the latter).

Put it another way, RMT is watched for 1 month, over that month they make 2m a day so say 60m gil. They sell half of it at... /checks chat log.... $5 per million, that is $150. Account gets shut down and they buy another game for $50 and still have $100 profit.

Ban them before they can sell the gil, they still have to buy the game but they haven't sold any gil to fund that purchase (eventually they will ban all the accounts the RMT steal....).

It only costs 15 dollars to buy the game; and get a free month. so that's 135 dollars profit.

[ToffeeCoffee]

Mining bot - Eastern Thanalan. Been there all day moving between nodes with AFK sign on the whole time. X23 Y19.

[Numenor1379]

Hell, leave the bots and give us the ability to filter what tells we receive. Personally, if you aren't on my friend list or in my FC I won't need a tell from you 99% of the time.

[Snugglebutt]

They don't ban bots at all in my experience from the many, many reports I have sent them. Not a single one has ever been banned. They care more about their community of automatic scripts/programs users more so than their community of fair and legitimately playing members. I have come to the conclusion there is no such thing as this so called special task force or unit and all GM's do is tell you to send reports to this fictional unit.

In a previous MMO I played in order to show they were tackling the problem about bots they would at the end of every week post a list of all the bots they banned listing both server and character names so people could see for themselves that their reports were having an effect by sometimes seeing the names of the ones they reported in that list. This was greatly appreciated and endorsed by the community building a high level or trust and goodwill towards the GM's.

To check if someone was a bot only took them less than a couple minutes, they would enter the game world, go to the location and then while cloaked teleport the suspected bot to a limbo like room in which any rational and normal player would react to such an event but a bot program would run into the walls or stop moving and just stand there doing nothing and not reacting, the GM's to make even more sure was a bot would then send a message to the player/bot and if the bot disconnected upon receiving a GM message which is what a lot of bots did as they were coded to disconnect at sight or sound of GM nearby or if did not respond at all they would know it was a bot.

This system of proving who was a bot worked, their list at the end of each week proved they were tackling the problem and all this created good will towards the GM's and trust between the players and the GM's. This game however GM's do nothing and never bans any bots. The only thing they ban is the RMT spammers but never ever any gathering, crafting or EXP grinding bots.

[joshsecret]

I'd like to believe there is a concerted effort going on in the background where they are hitting bot runners and gil sellers where it hurts but it seems to be just a pipe dream.

wow....
why have a report function if this is the response.
'my hands are tied" ... i just cant.

can i please have a job on the Task Force SE? please!
you wont even need to pay me. just cover my sub from time to time.
ill catch tons.