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

[Aleczan]

If you target the mob you can see what they are attacking and you can get the name that way. fyi

I've seen some invisible bots, but problem is they are mining bots, so there is no monster to target to get their name.

[VesperiaTonberry]

I've seen some invisible bots, but problem is they are mining bots, so there is no monster to target to get their name.

usually they are hitting from under the ground

[shawnaus1986]

You can't post names

[SalemP]

You can't post names

no, but you need the names in order to report them in game.

[HeroSamson]

usually they are hitting from under the ground

It's funny cause I noticed some flying in the sky in gridania in the rafters inside the adventures guild but you had to go into first person view to see them.

[SalemP]

Same gathering bot I mentioned earlier in the thread. Except now he's in Eastern Thanalan. I reported him again.

[Aleczan]

Alright, I caught a glimpse of something along the line of "the GMs can't really do anything about the bots because they do not directly harm other players" but just today my unfortunate run-in with some FATE-farming bots speaks otherwise.

I'm on WHM, and it became an instinct to cast Regen on everyone that I see that is having life-threatening situation. Sometimes it attracts a hell lot of enemies to me. Sometimes in trying to save strangers, I almost died myself. Sometimes, the person thanked me or tried their best to get back the enemies, or both.

In many FATEs today, I found at least 3 people who were about to die in FATEs, and I threw Regen on them. Sometimes if I have enough time, I threw them a Stoneskin, too.

Now let's see, as the bots do not acknowledge me or my assistance, 100% of the time that I happened to help a bot, they let enemies beat me to half death. Unlike legit players who are nice and well-mannered, they don't appreciate my help and never said "thanks" or show their acknowledgement of my presence or my assistance, and never even try to help me kill their mobs that now became mine. Of course that ticks me a little, but it's not as brutal as getting beaten up by 8 enemies at once in return for trying to help a dying "person."

Most of the times, I had to run away from the FATE, losing my chance to get more credits in the FATE. Sometimes I might be able to Repose many of the mobs and keep myself alive and manage to stay in the FATE, but it's still aggravating and exhausting to have to struggle for my life where I shouldn't have to. In one instance, the botting player had enmity of the FATE boss, and instead of asking for a cure like a normal person would, and instead of staying there when a WHM cure them like a normal person should, the person ran away, dragging the FATE boss along with them which made it eventually reset, recovering from below 50% back to full health. All the previous effort of everyone in the FATE now went down the drain. =_=;;

Being stomped by enemies that the bots aggro so often, it is getting to the point where I'm becoming unwilling to extend a helping hand to a stranger in need (of cure), which is quite a mentally unhealthy thought. I feel that a nice and kind community in a game is a key factor that makes a game enjoyable. I want to help others, yet I'm now scared to.

If anything, botting and endangering other player's life (in-game) should at least be as illegal as PK attempt. Because even if it is not on purpose, someone might die in-game and have their quest/mission/errand interrupted or ruined from it.

[HEC-]

Some spirit bonding botters on moogle.....

Yeah this cheater have two characters (I know of) - I see him / her on the same locations as you every single day in past 6 - 8 weeks, reported numerous time in game and via Lodestone GSU Report link but to no avail ... He's using names with ' after second character and Tia as last names - clearly autogenerated during character creations. On permanent Busy so can't disrupt them via trade and placed in "strategic" spots so it's hard to lure in the mob to have him attacked, at least in one player. Maybe in more it could be possible.

Maybe we should organize some in game protest / march to attract more attention to the issue?

Also, reporting is tedious and clunky in this game.

^^^ THIS! ^^^

WHY the hell we need to fill up always all the crap like world, location, date & Time and Character name? The F-ing game client KNOWS all those details and it should be automatically populated in the form and all you need to do is to Right-clikc on character and select report for cheating and have just one Comment field to fill in with description of what is happening, nothing else! The whole "support desk" in game looks like programmed by 5 years old ;(

[Nuinn]

I used to care but I stopped reporting entirely. There's bots 24/7 Near Fallgourd Float in North Shroud (killing those Will-O-Wisp mobs). They were there 2+ months ago when I went on a hiatus, and they're still around after I've returned. Same goes for the multiple BLMs at Ul'dah main Aetherite.

Also, reporting is tedious and clunky in this game.

[DizzyDragonfly]

The FC of bots in Zalera are back to crafting




I noticed when I did a player search in The Steps of Nald that this enormous group of bots shows up, it varies from around 3 to 20, and they all basically have the same name.



I also noticed this bot that keeps popping in and out, he's been doing it for awhile