Formal Letter to SE about RMT situation.

[Nadirah]

The one in wow you don't enter text at all.

It's a menu selection. Automatically gives character name, world name, timestamp and chat log for the past few minutes including the message sent that prompted it.

That's just the chat log report. You can also report players in the world with a right click menu on their target frame name but most speedhackers and bots port around and are hard to target. They move out of range quick.

[Snugglebutt]

The one in wow you don't enter text at all.

There is nothing wrong with requiring a description box as it allows for not only more comprehensive description than the drop down menu report type but such additional information could help list more than one character present at that location you might be reporting at same time which is the only time I have not been able to target botters aka like when they stacked on top of each other so comment box would help let GM's known there is more than one. Even when botters are underground I can select them by selecting what they are targeting and then on them from that.

The problems I have with current system is annoying amount of effort to access the report function and requiring information manually input that could be easily obtained by the function itself automatically such as name of person selected, your name, world/server/location data and time/date. Such data is already stored in memory and could easily be handled automatically by the function. The comment/description box would be additional information you want to give on top of the metadata the function could gather as opposed to us currently having to put all that metadata in ourselves manually. Leaving additional information in that comment box would be optional.

Niwas idea about chat box report function would also be good and would attached a copy of the chat log to the report automatically. Again way I see it working as a function would be chat box GUI button/function for reporting opening up report window that has one drop down menu for report type, a comment box for explaining any additional information want to give plus all metadata such as time/date, your character/world/server/location information and chat log attached by the function itself automatically. The report window once again having send/cancel buttons and a confirmation popup when click send.

The right click target player report function would not attach the chat log though as it would be a different method of making a report which would attach selected target player data instead, a different function not related to chat reporting. The chat reporting function includes chat logs instead of selected/targeted player data. The current method in game feels like either lazy design or intentionally trying to put people off reporting. Many people feel like it is the latter but I feel it is probably the former reason though the lack of SE's desire to improve the situation via such solutions given above is also concerning.

I have some experience programming various coding platforms though limited in scope/experience even I know it should not be that hard to have the function handle most of the metadata mentioned above without the need for manual input plus adding the functions themselves should not be that difficult to do simply altering the GUI slightly and linking the new coded functions to it. SE could probably create these two functions described above and GUI changes in less than a week easily and it is the sort of thing people keep asking SE to do so no wonder people are frustrated by SE not doing such a minor amount of effort for a major improvement to the system.

There are two issues here, two parts to it. a) Report b) Response. The examples I gave above would help resolve the report problem even if the response issue is still perceived to exist (as in if once reported you see that same player still following what appears to be scripted bot routines days, weeks or even months later). That is a separate issue to the first one which is the report aspect of the equation and the report issue you could easily resolve and improve. The response issue is a bigger issue because it accounts for what actions you take in regard to the reports and how you can show the players that you are taking their reports seriously but in the meantime you could fix the first issue about reporting if wanted to quite easily yet have failed so far to do such.

[Orson_Dara]

Bump signed we need SE to get these spammers out of the game already.

[Mykll]

I have been commenting all along (when I do comment) that like many others have said, it should be easier to report spammers.

1. Right-click name in chat, Report Person.

2. Game then pulls all chat log recently from that person, auto-fills out a form for you. The new window that pops up has a pull down to list various reporting type. RMT, Harassment, etc. This also lets you cancel the Report if you clicked the wrong name with chat log scrolling by fast or whatever. And you can also add in any additional info. The way they act/grief or whatever won't show up in chat for example.

3. Because the game already knows where you are, and where that other character is, all of that info is already included along with date and time and everything else.

4. Character still gets auto-Blacklisted.

5. When SE gives out these perma-bans on these accounts, these characters get auto-removed from your Blacklist. You don't have to keep clearing this list out. You will then know over time, the only people left on your Blacklist are people you don't want to hear. Instead of trying to remember, Idiot, or RMT? Safe to remove? I don't know! Also, <Deleted> (I think, forget) names on your Blacklist get auto-removed as well.

Some games do some or most of these. Some even go so far as Blacklisting the entire account, not just the current character. There should be an easier time, more people will use this Report feature, there will be less errors (and, when you capture standard data that we, as customers, CANNOT edit, you know the info you received is true), and your research will have a standard set of data received, making researching these things easier and faster.

[Zaccea]

Going to sign my name and add my suggestion as well.
I've played lots of other MMOs and the few that had a Player Search function included the option to opt out of Player Search. Mind you, I've seen this in Free-To-Play games and can't understand why a Pay-To-Play game doesn't offer this option. While this wouldn't solve every problem (such as the bots standing in starting towns spamming say/shout chat) it would definitely help the main issue.

[Niwashi]

there will be less errors (and, when you capture standard data that we, as customers, CANNOT edit, you know the info you received is true), and your research will have a standard set of data received, making researching these things easier and faster.

I wanted to quote this final detail for emphasis. Giving us proper tools to combat RMT would allow the task force to get proper tools at their end as well. If all this meta-data were provided automatically by the system itself, the team checking it wouldn't have to waste time and effort on trying to verify information that they should just always have as part of getting the report. We keep being told that the task force is working hard to find and stop RMT, and that may well be true, but we know for a fact that they don't have the tools to do so very effectively, because they can't have those tools until we have the corresponding tools for reporting.

[AlphaFox]

Someone posted a suggestion awhile back that I personally loved, I don't recall the name but do something like this. Let us block tells from people who do not have a leveled class past X levels. Example being /level10block. No one level 10 or lower can message you unless they are added to your friends list. Make it a chore to have them level cus obviously we have 2 sets of RMT, we have those actively farming the gil (i am sure we have all seen the 10 blackmages standing around with random names and questionable gear (i saw one with str accessories ), these are the ones who are not going to be spamming us for sells cus that is a lot of work for them level, least it is time consuming even for a bot to work on. Then we have the dummy accounts that obviously don't care if they are banned, they are only here to advertise.

The downside I may see with this is we may see an increase on the number of Friend invites from bots but honestly, to me, would be a LOT less annoying.

[Nadirah]

There is nothing wrong with requiring a description box as it allows for not only more comprehensive description than the drop down menu report type but such additional information could help list more than one character present at that location you might be reporting at same time which is the only time I have not been able to target botters aka like when they stacked on top of each other so comment box would help let GM's known there is more than one. Even when botters are underground I can select them by selecting what they are targeting and then on them from that.

Having to enter text is one of the things that makes it take too damn long.

Even copy/paste the current gil seller messages adding world name to it is a pain in the ass, especially when I'm trying to go somewhere and/or do something.

[DragonHunterG]

The problem is, I don't even report anymore. Even though I literally see groups of bots, am I supposed to take the time to make a report on each and every one of them? I've done basic player searches and have come across more than 20 at a time on a list, see bot groups around and have screenshots to prove it. Not to mention, everyday, there's at least one in the main areas of Ul'dah, Limsa and Gridania spamming. At this point, transferring to higher populated server that you can never seem to make new characters on would be the only relief is my guess, but I'm sure they get their share as well.

[fortuona]

with so much of the game designed around reducing rmt presence (useless crafting, gil sinks, vendor prices, etc.) it is entirely discouraging how disinclined SE is to doing anything about such a pervasive problem and forcing the players to put up with this for so long.