Why are people rewarded for cheating?

[Zohar_Lahar]

The real problem is crystals are gathered so slowly that many resort to using bots to collect a respectable amount.

[kyuven]

The real problem is crystals are gathered so slowly that many resort to using bots to collect a respectable amount.

I think this is a big issue right here.
Crystals and Shards are gathered at about the same rate, with shards being marginally faster because of some key nodes having multiples, and retainer ventures returning more per run, on top of the early quests and crafting leves that just plain give them away.
Clusters are rare, and pretty much rightfully so.
However, there's a bit of a disparity in shard acquisition vs. crystals: Crystals drop from more mobs (they drop from anything over about lvl 30, shards only drop off things under lvl 30, and clusters don't drop off anything) and with the exception of retainer ventures, anything that gives you more shards also gives you more crystals. The problem is the number of SHARDS you actually need for things increases exponentially, with combines for artisan tool items requiring 10-11, and minions requiring 99. meanwhile the number of crystals or clusters required for something never really exceeds 5 of a single type.
We need double the number of shards to make things compared to crystals, but the acquisition rate is closer to equal barring retainer ventures and leves (the latter of which you need to use shards to get shards from, and it's random as to what type and whether you'll get any at all.)

[Sapphic]

I think this is a big issue right here.
Crystals and Shards are gathered at about the same rate, with shards being marginally faster because of some key nodes having multiples, and retainer ventures returning more per run, on top of the early quests and crafting leves that just plain give them away.

I made a suggestion a while ago that the higher the node the more shards it gives per swing. levels 1-5 give 1, 10-15 give 2. 20-25 give 3 upto level 50 nodes giving 6 per swing. Which would make it less an onerous task to harvest quantities of them thus making it less desirable to feed the gil farmers pockets.

[shrek]

The real problem ain't "Bot this Bot that" but SE too soft to any bots program user, tbh even some people whos using Teleport Hack for "Early pull" on Rank A hunt never get banned and tons of them using it too on FATE grind lol. gg

[Aerowaffle]

I made a suggestion a while ago that the higher the node the more shards it gives per swing. levels 1-5 give 1, 10-15 give 2. 20-25 give 3 upto level 50 nodes giving 6 per swing. Which would make it less an onerous task to harvest quantities of them thus making it less desirable to feed the gil farmers pockets.

Don't know if that would change the situation very much though. So long as it's more convenient to just buy the shards from the MB than just go and gather it yourself, people will buy the shards from the MB and bots will farm them. And bots already have the price of shards at rock bottom, because their time has almost no value to it.

Real people subconsciously place quite a bit of value in their time, it's why we craft the things that we believe to make more money, or do the things that level up our classes the fastest. A bot's time has almost no value. They will farm something that has very little gil-to-time-spent ratio, but since they can throw so much time into farming it, they still can make plenty of gil.

[Ashkendor]

The real problem is crystals are gathered so slowly that many resort to using bots to collect a respectable amount.

So much this. Gathering shards/crystals kills my soul to the point that I'd rather either buy them or send my retainers to gather them. I don't do it myself unless I'm doing something else like digging for a map.

[Chiramu]

The real problem is crystals are gathered so slowly that many resort to using bots to collect a respectable amount.

I use a movie personally or if I want to spiritbond to get some more materia I then get a buttload of carbonised matter during said movie . Play windowed mode and pop media player classic on next time you need to grind.

I have seen people in FCs using bots but as it is a 3rd party program I always report them. I just hope SE monitors them when they are using it.