Legitimate bots going unbanned after reporting

When are you guys going to honestly start banning legitimate bots that have been reported by multiple people? You have this entire "Special team" that looks into these things, yet week after week they are left to just do as they please. There is a bot on Excalibur that has been untouched in every round of your supposed efforts to stop RMT and third party usage. I wont' say the name. but if you check material purchases, they buy mats by the literal THOUSANDS (of stacks). How do I know they are botting? They retire to an INN room, not a house, not an FC house, etc. They have NO 90 battle crafts. Highest they have is 84 to unlock first few zones. yet they have all 90 Crafters and Gatherers. And do nothing day in and day out but sit in that Inn room and craft. I've taken naps to monitor whether or not they actually get off and they are on 24/7 in that inn room. Only coming out to use the market then go right back in. And y'know what? If they aren't botting, then they are account sharing. Which is also a no no. But my money is on third party botting. HOW is this not being taken care of by the special team? This is like the third person i've piled evidence on as to not falsely report and seen them week after week after week. These are the same types of people who then post 99 items for 1-2k under market price btw.

This needs to stop.

As far as I've noticed, the only chance you have of reasonably getting a bot banned is if their script encounters an error and leaves them stuck repeating some pointless action (Jumping in place endlessly being a common one) for a long enough time that the STF is able to get to them before they correct the issue.

The highest number of bans I ever witnessed in one of their reports was during the initial Firmament rankings where the Diadem botting scripts were extremely rough and prone to glitching out, which when coupled with the sheer number of players in the zone meant there were also more witnesses to report them, but by the time the second ranking rolled around the number of bans had fallen to its usual lows.

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Originally Posted by KageTokage

As far as I've noticed, the only chance you have of reasonably getting a bot banned is if their script encounters an error and leaves them stuck repeating some pointless action (Jumping in place endlessly being a common one) for a long enough time that the STF is able to get to them before they correct the issue.

The highest number of bans I ever witnessed in one of their reports was during the initial Firmament rankings where the Diadem botting scripts were extremely rough and prone to glitching out, which when coupled with the sheer number of players in the zone meant there were also more witnesses to report them, but by the time the second ranking rolled around the number of bans had fallen to its usual lows.

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Yeah it's actually wild that they don't do anything in game. Like, if you message these people they NEVER respond. And a GM/Special Team can literally just go watch them and notice there is NO down time between crafting skill uses. Which is directly linked to third party application. Not to mention, all they would have to do is check the log in times and notice they never log out. Other than that's what the poitn of even having these teams if they don't do basic investigative work? Hell I do more than that being a PI IRL and this is just baseline work that could be put in with these reports.

I don't really get either because it's not hard to tell foul play is involved from how they rapid fire actions (They also do this while in combat as they seemingly aren't subject to the OGCD delays actual players are) as well their awkward movement patterns.

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Originally Posted by KageTokage

I don't really get either because it's not hard to tell foul play is involved from how they rapid fire actions (They also do this while in combat as they seemingly aren't subject to the OGCD delays actual players are) as well their awkward movement patterns.

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Yep. They can actively start another action the very millisecond the previous is finished. And not to mention they have no downtime between crafts. Like how a normal person would have to click the craft button again or the control clicks the item THEN the craft button again and then click at least a macro. It's just straight to the craft and macro with one movement. And repairing is also instantly done. I've legit stock piled enough reports on actual bots to witness all of this. Yet the teams have done nothing and they continue to just do it

I was actively reporting bots during ShB. They’d made FCs filled with low level alts that just rotated logging in and undercutting. All on 24/7 just every 10 min at a summoning bell. And the main character never left their apartment in Mist except very rarely to buy materials. Anyway, I ended up reporting every single alt and the main with my suspicions and finally, FINALLY, after like 4 months they vanished never to been again. I guess they weren’t technically breaking any rules until what I can only assume was getting caught in RMT. They haven’t been back either (though there’s a new FC doing the same exact thing, so maybe they created a whole new account) so I think they have to be caught in the act. But if me, my Mom and my Sister hadn’t all reported them, then maybe it wouldn’t have been brought to the GMs/Devs attention.

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Originally Posted by LunaJoy

I was actively reporting bots during ShB. They’d made FCs filled with low level alts that just rotated logging in and undercutting. All on 24/7 just every 10 min at a summoning bell. And the main character never left their apartment in Mist except very rarely to buy materials. Anyway, I ended up reporting every single alt and the main with my suspicions and finally, FINALLY, after like 4 months they vanished never to been again. I guess they weren’t technically breaking any rules until what I can only assume was getting caught in RMT. They haven’t been back either (though there’s a new FC doing the same exact thing, so maybe they created a whole new account) so I think they have to be caught in the act. But if me, my Mom and my Sister hadn’t all reported them, then maybe it wouldn’t have been brought to the GMs/Devs attention.

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Botting and third party usage (which is again used for botting) IS against ToS. So yes. They WERE breaking rules. Because if that's the case i'm telling you now. I'm going to start third partying and being on 24/7 if they dont' see it that way. It's horseshit that I have to break my fingers when i'm on and craft around the clock to do what they do 24/7. AND with being able to use skills right after one is finished with no buffer. If reporting is supposed to call out suspicious activity. Then they need to start acting on the reports and going out and monitoring those reported. ESPECIALLY on the reports that have detailed information on numerous days of activity and on these peopel that have NO max level battle class but have multiple 90 crafters and gatherers and are on 24/7.

The person being talked about here on Excalibur has no FC or any search info either. It's just used to bot craft all day.

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Originally Posted by Lecru

When are you guys going to honestly start banning legitimate bots that have been reported by multiple people?

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Now, when you say "you guys"; do you mean us the players? Because we can't do anything about it.

The forums are literally only a place for players to chat with other players without having to use a third party site like Reddit. They're not, and never have been a direct line to the developers.

Coming here asking for Devs to make any kind of change is just screaming into the void. All you're doing at this point is venting to other players. So stop pretending that you're talking to the Dev team.

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Originally Posted by Lecru

This needs to stop.

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I agree.

What are "legitimate bots"? Am I missing something? What bots are possibly legitimate? Why would you ban something that is legitimate? I didn't think that any automated bots were allowed.

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Originally Posted by LeonKeyh

What are "legitimate bots"? Am I missing something? What bots are possibly legitimate? Why would you ban something that is legitimate? I didn't think that any automated bots were allowed.

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I don't think they meant "legitimate" in the legality sense, but more so "actual", obvious bots.

As if they're getting banned in the first place :P

Yup, the bot problem is just going to get worse and worse and SE will just sit on their heels. Incredibly discouraging to even report the bots in the first place knowing that nothing is going to get done about it. They actively farm bunnies in Eureka and mats in Diadem but you can't report them unless you "catch them in the act". Which I'm sorry but I'm not going to watch bots all day until their script starts acting funky..

i find it funny how real bots don't get banned, but if you say outloud in shout as a joke I will pay for some yaoi action infront of me with cookies u get taken to gm jail for rmt when you obviousely was JOKING lol...

I'm sorry buts its so laughable how they dont take real proplems as an issue but will go after little jokes and some innocent fun lol

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Originally Posted by Nekokaori

i find it funny how real bots don't get banned, but if you say outloud in shout as a joke I will pay for some yaoi action infront of me with cookies u get taken to gm jail for rmt when you obviousely was JOKING lol...

I'm sorry buts its so laughable how they dont take real proplems as an issue but will go after little jokes and some innocent fun lol

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The bots are good paying customers who are paying for multiple subs and expansions. Why would they get banned? Blizzard... I mean Square are only after your money after all. Bottom line is they're a business first. If they're getting money, they're happy. They don't care about you.

I'm starting to wonder if they just let the bots do their thing because it provides Timmy McCasual with cheap endgame items on the marketboard with the gil he probably bought from that same RMT bot.

Casuals are happy, bots pay them sub money and as for the rest of the player base ...well FF14 isn't really made for us in the first place.

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Originally Posted by Saimeren

Now, when you say "you guys"; do you mean us the players? Because we can't do anything about it.

The forums are literally only a place for players to chat with other players without having to use a third party site like Reddit. They're not, and never have been a direct line to the developers.

Coming here asking for Devs to make any kind of change is just screaming into the void. All you're doing at this point is venting to other players. So stop pretending that you're talking to the Dev team.



I agree.

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Yes yes because the devs NEVER check the forusm. All of them saying 'We read the forums" are just lying

GO outside. Touch grass. If posts like this annoy you when you get back, scroll past them. Thanks

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Originally Posted by LeonKeyh

What are "legitimate bots"? Am I missing something? What bots are possibly legitimate? Why would you ban something that is legitimate? I didn't think that any automated bots were allowed.

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Could mean the players who pay and don't steal CC or are RMT sellers. So reg player like you or me except a cheater. And I have never seen any of them banned. The peorts used to say how many players they punished for that behaviour and it was less then 1 per data centre. That's why it is pointless to report.

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Originally Posted by Lecru

Yes yes because the devs NEVER check the forusm. All of them saying 'We read the forums" are just lying

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They do, the Japanese ones.

Posting on this side achieves nothing as it goes completely unread. Posting on the Japanese side is noticed and dealt with - the Sage job icon, and the complaints about moves in servers 30 days before Ishgard (amongst many) are proof there.

Luckily the Hroth ears and OS X 12.3 are over there, so they will be noticed. But here... we pee into the wind.

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Originally Posted by Lecru

Yes yes because the devs NEVER check the forusm. All of them saying 'We read the forums" are just lying

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They don't read the ENGLISH forums.

They "read the forum" by reading the top page of the JP forum.

If you want to actually be heard, translate to japanese, post there with a free acount made in japan (otherwise you get banned from the forum).

4-5 ppl get temp banned a week for botting, this in their report and they have been doing it for years. The only way a bot is yeeted, if they talk about them. SE does not care and will never care about bots. If you insult someone it can be tracked, but bots? they have no idea what to do with that. This has been a thing since the release of SB and yes i wish it was not but ... yea.

And yes the english forums are moderated if you report someone, noone will however read what you write if its not reported. The only exception is when they have a "enter your question here" threat for a live letter and even then they state they only take the most liked ones ... big F

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Originally Posted by Lecru

When are you guys going to honestly start banning legitimate bots that have been reported by multiple people? You have this entire "Special team" that looks into these things, yet week after week they are left to just do as they please. There is a bot on Excalibur that has been untouched in every round of your supposed efforts to stop RMT and third party usage. I wont' say the name. but if you check material purchases, they buy mats by the literal THOUSANDS (of stacks). How do I know they are botting? They retire to an INN room, not a house, not an FC house, etc. They have NO 90 battle crafts. Highest they have is 84 to unlock first few zones. yet they have all 90 Crafters and Gatherers. And do nothing day in and day out but sit in that Inn room and craft. I've taken naps to monitor whether or not they actually get off and they are on 24/7 in that inn room. Only coming out to use the market then go right back in. And y'know what? If they aren't botting, then they are account sharing. Which is also a no no. But my money is on third party botting. HOW is this not being taken care of by the special team? This is like the third person i've piled evidence on as to not falsely report and seen them week after week after week. These are the same types of people who then post 99 items for 1-2k under market price btw.

This needs to stop.

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Wait I'm curious how do you know they are bots? I saw a fun video on types of ff14 players and realize there are players that just do crafting all day. I heard from my bro some people have alts that just do crafting since its possible to macro crafting. Like just pressing a button every minute or so .

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Originally Posted by Serious-Cat

Wait I'm curious how do you know they are bots? I saw a fun video on types of ff14 players and realize there are players that just do crafting all day. I heard from my bro some people have alts that just do crafting since its possible to macro crafting. Like just pressing a button every minute or so .

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If they're ever crafting out in the open, you'll notice they rapid fire actions at a pace faster then is doable with a macro or even manually because bots aren't subject to OGCD delays (Which crafting abilities are treated as).

If you wait around in the vicinity of whatever capital city's inn they're using, you'll notice that they follow the exact same path to the pixel and will use sprint at the exact point on this path as well. It's while I'm waiting around by the Gridania aetheryte in particular that I tend to most regularly see them warping in and sprinting off towards the inn.

They also generally do not ever target any of the NPCs/objects they interact with and are able to bypass that somehow, presumably as another quirk of them using packet injection as opposed to actual inputs to move their characters around.

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Originally Posted by KageTokage

If they're ever crafting out in the open, you'll notice they rapid fire actions at a pace faster then is doable with a macro or even manually because bots aren't subject to OGCD delays (Which crafting abilities are treated as).

If you wait around in the vicinity of whatever capital city's inn they're using, you'll notice that they follow the exact same path to the pixel and will use sprint at the exact point on this path as well.

They also generally do not ever target any of the NPCs/objects they interact with and are able to bypass that somehow, presumably as another quirk of them using packet injection as opposed to actual inputs to move their characters around.

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thanks for the info. I'll keep a lookout ._.