The bot problem is rising and real.

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Originally Posted by Zomkei

right click -> report -> RMT, its already a feature. for the keyboard smash names, Roegadyn (specifically sea wolf) naming convention looks like a keyboard smash, so I don't think it'd be fair to those who use randomize or who prefer lore-friendly names.

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Sadly that's not the case. You can only right click-->report rtm on those who write in chat. If you right click on a character out in the wild the option isn't even there.

I think there needs to be an option to just report people from player search as a lot of the bots spend their time hiding in locations where you aren't realistically going to be able to actually click on them directly.

An easier way to report would go a long way to helping as long as the company is actually willing to take action. I'm sorry to say I'm not convinced that they are all that interested.

The only time I tried to report a group of bots, they were swarming a quest-giver in Aleport. I made an in-game report including names, the name of their FC, location, time etc, only to receive a reply telling me no action could be taken on an in-game report and I had to go and make my report on the website.
Since I was on PS4 the thought of having to log out, find the right place to submit a report (no link given iirc), and then type all that out again was disheartening to say the least. Maybe the intention wasn't to persuade me to not bother and to look the other way the next time I saw someone botting, but that was the result.

The botting issue is so bad that Square Enix got blacklisted at my bank for outright fraud. This means that I cannot use the MogStation to get things from, nor can I rent retainers, which I have, but that I now can't access. And I now have to buy freaking timecards every now and then instead of having subscription renewed through the MogStation.

But what infuriates me the most is that us who play XIV in a legal way have to create threads like this because of the APPARENT INACTIVITY in-game to actually do something about it. Expand the freaking Special Task Force. Make it ACTUALLY noticeable that these people exist.

I volunteer.

I just wish there was a place to actually contact them. There isn't. You either write a general discussion or send a report a pray that someone will give a damn about what you have to say

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Originally Posted by Zomkei

right click -> report -> RMT, its already a feature. for the keyboard smash names, Roegadyn (specifically sea wolf) naming convention looks like a keyboard smash, so I don't think it'd be fair to those who use randomize or who prefer lore-friendly names.

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This is for RMT, not bots.

The real way to report them is:
System -> Help Desk -> Contact us

Once in "Contact us" you need to provide info

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■World Name


■Zone


■Date when the violation was observed


■Character Name


■Detail

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I'm not down to right a damn paragraph for each bot I see. It's a ludicrous expectation to even have players report so many bots in the first place.

I would say it's pretty obvious to tell who is a bot though considering they fly through walls.

I don't mind. The zones seem quieter now.

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Originally Posted by Machi_Machiavelli

I don't mind. The zones seem quieter now.

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there's a spike in bot activity every 1-2 days. They seem to do that to avoid too much attention. But that doesn't mean that the problem doesn't exist. It's such a bad time when every new player I help as a mentor pops the question "hey what's that group of 8 people walking in the air thru the zone" or even worst when a train of them pulls a scooby doo scene and phases through a wall in a starting area. Then I never see those people again. They move to other games probably, it breaks the immersion/vibes of this game. Wait a few more years and at this rate it will be impossible to make any progress as a new player just for the sheer amount of bots spawnkilling mobs, then the game dies. That's what I want them to avoid.

sigh....I'm gonna need more anti-bot emotes.

http://i.ibb.co/jbSHkM8/antibotting.jpg
http://i.ibb.co/NmJ9KTc/antibotting3.jpg

we had it where i was watching some of my friends rp in the central shroud, all you could hear was invisible black mages killing mobs under the ground then suddenly a whole herd of derplanders run across the map then melt into the ground. I even suggested a gm come and just sit with us for 5 minuets i bet they would of got 20+ bots banned...its a bit of a joke.

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Originally Posted by Mirhd

Edit: Anyone seen people camping the MB for longer than is reasonable? As in, possibly using a bot to purchase items? I know this occurs in other MMOs, but i don't recall seeing it here before this. I've seen the same character standing at the MB outside Shirogane apartments for hours on end. I'll port there, go to my apartment, port out to do something else, port back, they're still there... haven't moved an inch. For hours and hours, days on end, though granted there are times they aren't there. I dunno, either they're a very careful bot, or a player who doesn't mind camping the board... for, uh, hours... Maybe I should just send them a tell.

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If you are engaged in an interactive menu the game won't kick you out. They could have been looking at something to buy then had to go afk and just hadn't come back.

I rarely see them and when I do it is usually just a couple of level 1 male Hyur at the loadin spot of Limsa.

Not to discredit anyone but by way if why SE might be slow acting... perhaps the bots are using certain times if day to avoid being seen by SE or reduce the risk if reporting?

I note at least one post above me here was from someone on a server I made an alt on last night (planning a server transfer, scouting choices for where to) and was able to wander around freely with no issues and no bots... making me think the bots are being clever in choice of timing...

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Originally Posted by Mirhd

Edit: Anyone seen people camping the ... for hours on end. I'll port there, go to my apartment, port out to do something else, port back, they're still there... haven't moved an inch. For hours and hours, days on end, ...

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I went back to an old server last night to see if I wanted to transfer back and there was a guy standing by the MB in a certain place doing the same dance emote in the same subligar he was doing every single time I passed that spot back in early 4.0... but when I looked he was level 80 now...

So appearances can be deceptive... I guess that guy just knows the exact spot he wants to stand in when not playing but refusing to get logged out...

The supposed task force is a joke. It just feels like a pacifier " Hey SE there are bots! Calm down we have task force here is your binky." If they feel some need to have this system then create as -task force- for each DC or groups of DCs. NA, EUR, JPN etc.

As a screen in another thread shows (The one with the horde of archers) The situation is out of control. I'm inclined to think they would rather have numbers and $$ than a happy player base.

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Originally Posted by Arillyn

If you are engaged in an interactive menu the game won't kick you out. They could have been looking at something to buy then had to go afk and just hadn't come back.

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There are MB/crafting bots that exist. They'll update prices every 15 or 30 minutes on the dot to be the lowest price down to a set amount then stop. I've reported these before and they're usually associated with a crafting bot(s) that will craft 24/7 inside a house next to a bell so they can craft and list stuff without exposing themselves. These crafting bots will also have gathering bots gathering for them and a lot of the times they're all contained inside of the same FC where all the members are bots or mules of bots. These mules are generally always naked level 20 characters and will log in just long enough to update prices or allow the crafting bot(s) to access their retainers/bags.

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Originally Posted by ElazulHP

There are MB/crafting bots that exist. They'll update prices every 15 or 30 minutes on the dot to be the lowest price down to a set amount then stop. I've reported these before and they're usually associated with a crafting bot(s) that will craft 24/7 inside a house next to a bell so they can craft and list stuff without exposing themselves. These crafting bots will also have gathering bots gathering for them and a lot of the times they're all contained inside of the same FC where all the members are bots or mules of bots. These mules are generally always naked level 20 characters and will log in just long enough to update prices or allow the crafting bot(s) to access their retainers/bags.

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Yes I know they do exist, believe me. And I REALLY wish SE would finally do something about them. I was just pointing out that someone could have been buying something, the menu is still open and they went afk. The game won't kick you if you are in an interactive menu. I just don't want to see people with pitchforks going after everyone they see that they feel is a bot because they were standing by a MB (or somewhere else) for a long time. As long as an interactive menu is open, you can't be kicked.

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Originally Posted by Arillyn

Yes I know they do exist, believe me. And I REALLY wish SE would finally do something about them. I was just pointing out that someone could have been buying something, the menu is still open and they went afk. The game won't kick you if you are in an interactive menu. I just don't want to see people with pitchforks going after everyone they see that they feel is a bot because they were standing by a MB (or somewhere else) for a long time. As long as an interactive menu is open, you can't be kicked.

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Fair enough and I agree. Solution would be for them to hire more people to the STF assuming that is the current limitation. They need to do something beyond what they're already doing cause what they're currently doing isn't working.

It's really too bad this company doesn't care about the state of the game when it comes to bots. I've reported them so many times for so many issues, I've given up on reporting because their (lack of) enforcement action is obvious. Each time they post on the site the action taken, the numbers continue to increase. Obviously there is no enforcement taking place, only knee-jerk reactions to mass ban/suspend these bots. They could literally camp a GM at three specific spots that I can think of right off the top of my head, and just snipe them from existence. They could really be more proactive and not reactive with this problem.

They could realistically put the whole botting problem on ice by reworking the enemy AI to reset if it detects that their targeted player is out of bounds or otherwise in a location they cannot actually path to.

Their success shoulders entirely on the fact that they can kill literally everything without need of a tank due to being able to go out of bounds to avoid damage.

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Originally Posted by KageTokage

They could realistically put the whole botting problem on ice by reworking the enemy AI to reset if it detects that their targeted player is out of bounds or otherwise in a location they cannot actually path to.

Their success shoulders entirely on the fact that they can kill literally everything without need of a tank due to being able to go out of bounds to avoid damage.

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I don't understand why SE haven't just made it so you die instantly if the game detects you're out of bounds... No, it wouldn't kill botting outright, but it'd certainly make a dent in that garbage at the least...

You don't even need to be in-game to see it in action.

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/community/

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Originally Posted by Tiraelina

You don't even need to be in-game to see it in action.

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/community/

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... Wow. I rarely ever visit Lodestone community pages, so I had no idea there were so many bot FCs. Keyboard smash names as well... not even trying to hide themselves. I don't know whether to be impressed at their persistence, or depressed that SE really isn't taking this as seriously as they should. Rampant botting at this level isn't a good look for them as a company. >_>

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Originally Posted by Tiraelina

You don't even need to be in-game to see it in action.

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodestone/community/

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Why are bots even forming FCs?

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Originally Posted by Hash_Browns

Why are bots even forming FCs?

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craft/gather bot FCs so they can operate more privately.

craft bots do all their crafting and such in there while gather bots dump the mats in the box and/or trade amongst each other. There was a post in this thread that broke it down more in-depth.

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Originally Posted by Hash_Browns

Why are bots even forming FCs?

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For the FC EXP Action, I'd image. The quicker they level their clone derplander BMs, the sooner they can get to spamming dungeons for gil.

Above poster beat me to it.

For each bot you need to have an active subscription, no? So first they need to buy the game, then get a subscription, and then carry out their activities. Doesn't that mean the people behind these bots make sufficient money through RMT profit from the initial investment? And, would they running multiple instance of the game on a single machine or would they require separate machines?

I imagine people already know this but bots are just the outcome when the disease is something else altogether.

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Originally Posted by Just-Communication

For each bot you need to have an active subscription, no? So first they need to buy the game, then get a subscription, and then carry out their activities. Doesn't that mean the people behind these bots make sufficient money through RMT profit from the initial investment? And, would they running multiple instance of the game on a single machine or would they require separate machines?

I imagine people already know this but bots are just the outcome when the disease is something else altogether.

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I'm going to assume FFXIVs bots do things similar to stuff like RS. So stolen credit cards.

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Originally Posted by Hash_Browns

Why are bots even forming FCs?

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All types of bots benefit from having access to a FC chest for easy item/gil transfers.

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Originally Posted by Just-Communication

For each bot you need to have an active subscription, no? So first they need to buy the game, then get a subscription, and then carry out their activities. Doesn't that mean the people behind these bots make sufficient money through RMT profit from the initial investment? And, would they running multiple instance of the game on a single machine or would they require separate machines?

I imagine people already know this but bots are just the outcome when the disease is something else altogether.

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Someone actually mentioned that their bank straight-up blocked transactions with SE presumably because of all the chargeback fraud the bots were doing.

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Originally Posted by KageTokage

Someone actually mentioned that their bank straight-up blocked transactions with SE presumably because of all the chargeback fraud the bots were doing.

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This reminds me of a similar situation that happened with RS years, and year ago.
They had to remove free trade because bots were killing the game.

RuneScape had such a bot problem that banks threatened Jagex.
Either stop the CC fraud, or they will refuse Jagexs transactions all together.

Jagex was forced so have a dedicated bot busting team, and continues to do so to this day because of how bad it hurt the game.

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...513f58d2ca6958

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is over 8,000 accounts banned within the span of a week, right?

I commend the efforts of the team responsible for this, but there's clearly an issue here that needs to be resolved.

It's unfortunate that while they're fruitlessly banning all those thousands of RMT accounts the small-scale bots that control the economy and such go almost completely ignored.

There's been a sudden increase in the latter type and I don't doubt it's likely related to 5.1 drawing near.

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Originally Posted by Freyt

https://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodes...513f58d2ca6958

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is over 8,000 accounts banned within the span of a week, right?

I commend the efforts of the team responsible for this, but there's clearly an issue here that needs to be resolved.

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Almost half a million dollars in fraud each month at that rate if they're charging full price for arr to stolen cards. Youch.

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Originally Posted by Dustytome

Almost half a million dollars in fraud each month at that rate if they're charging full price for arr to stolen cards. Youch.

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That's not accounting for any penalty fees for the chargebacks that are occurring...

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Originally Posted by KageTokage

Someone actually mentioned that their bank straight-up blocked transactions with SE presumably because of all the chargeback fraud the bots were doing.

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You might not have been around, but this is why we had crysta. It was a super complicated system where we put our credit cards into a 3rd party website to purchase crysta to then purchase time. SE has had a lot of trouble with charge backs since 11.

I'm pretty sure there cause of ones disconnecting in instances because there filling them up. Also pretty sure there cause of long queues now when every I login. Says in queue of 5 and you wait 7 minutes for just log you in. Other day said queue of one and waited 10 minutes to be login. They need to fix the bot problems.

Last time I made a post like this with screenshots of bots names I was suspended from the forums for 2 weeks.

SE doesn't like you showing how bad the bots are.

Every time I see a thread saying the problem is getting worse, I roll my eyes.

It's not getting worse, it's never getting worse. You're just noticing it more, but it's always been there.

I recently contacted the GM team in-game and inquired about their knowledge on the issue. They say that they are very well aware of the bot-related problems.

The GM I spoke with encouraged me to file a report directly to their Special Task Force.

In order to send them a report you have to go through the SE support center into their XIV section. Then Select "Report a Bug or Offending Player" Then down at the bottom you are able to select a "Report Type" that consist of RMT, 3rd party software use, and Other(which I'm sure many bots fall under as well).

I recommend those of Famfrit and other heavily affected servers take the time to send reports to this task force. I would imagen the more reports that are submitted they more likely and more swiftly action may be taken to alleviate the issue.

Far from the most effective way to do it, but its what we have to work with so that's what we gotta work with.

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Originally Posted by KageTokage

All types of bots benefit from having access to a FC chest for easy item/gil transfers.



Someone actually mentioned that their bank straight-up blocked transactions with SE presumably because of all the chargeback fraud the bots were doing.

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Got a call from my bank asking if the monthly charge was from me. They said they got a huge number of charge backs from SE. I would say its a huge problem that square needs to take seriously. Probably first need to implement fraud protection which hopefully gets rid of a handful of bots...

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Originally Posted by SomeRandomHuman

I recommend those of Famfrit and other heavily affected servers take the time to send reports to this task force. I would imagen the more reports that are submitted they more likely and more swiftly action may be taken to alleviate the issue.

Far from the most effective way to do it, but its what we have to work with so that's what we gotta work with.

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The clones will be dealt with by the STF in due time. Max level/regular players will be left untouched as the STF can't detect the use of their bots. No need to report unless you want to see how little the STF actually does.

This can have other effects as well....

I actually sometimes get nervous when I am out gathering, esp when it comes to fishing ever since HW when I was fishing for icepicks by that little pond and I was standing on a rock. My other half came running up and was like...what are you doing? Apparently while I saw myself standing on the rock, they saw me standing inside the rock on the ground. So now, since everyone's bot detection is on hyperdrive, I never stand on rocks to fish and am very conscious of my screen. This also happens when you are sitting on a chair while fishing. There are some cases, where if you are not flat on the ground surface, you sink into the map a little bit, not on your screen, but on other ppls. We have checked it out between our two PCs.

I was fishing in Il Mheg recently and was sitting on my chair, had someone who was killing things, come up and stand near me for a moment, I could see their head turned so they were looking at me, then after a few minutes run away.

It was too long to be just a casual glance and I had 0 pieces of gear glamoured….I just kept thinking to myself. Do they see me half sunk into the ground or something? Are they just watching my patterns to be sure I'm not botting? I immediately stood up and decided its just not worth using that feature anymore. A dude can't just go gather anymore these days without fearing a wrongful report and its thanks to the multitude of bots. Next time just say hello if you wanna be sure someone isn't a bot. I just wanna fish, man. Come on.