I give up, the bots win AKA: My flight is scheduled for departure

[KageTokage]

Only thing developers listen to is verifiable evidence. Download OBS and create a Youtube video detailing the bots and how they do it. Japanese developers are super sensitive to bad press and will fix it.

The lack of easily verifiable evidence is honestly probably the main reason why nothing is done about the bots most of the time.

The few instances where I can confirm they actually got banned was likely due to their program glitching out and causing them to behave in an irrational manner for far too long of a time to be dismissed as the only noticeable increase in the number of bans in basically the entire time I've been playing happened during the second Ishgard ranking season where the Diadem bots were still a work in progress and prone to getting stuck in one way or another, plus they were exposing themselves to a far greater number of players then they would by simply gathering locally.

Not even concentrated reports on their own are enough to get the GMs or STF mobilize as certain individuals on my server have been routinely reported for years, but they don't seem to have gotten so much as a temporary ban.

[Kyrj]

As much as I'd like to think these threads will eventually do something, they won't. SE just flat out doesn't care about bots. It's money for them, why would they care?

It's kind of pathetic on SE's part but what are ya gonna do?

[Jijifli]

Yes, yes people do.

If the thread gets a sufficient amount of attraction from the player base then it is more likely to get noticed by those that can make a change on the matter.

I'd bump this thread for eternity if it meant SE investing more resources and budget into anti-bot measures beyond a 'dedicated team'.

Not to mention it beats the typical nonsense that has been floating around from time to time

Except Square won't invest anything. Why would they, when bots quite literally make them money?

Every bot is an extra $15 a month. On top of that, as already pointed out, a good chunk of the playerbase actually enjoys bots existing because that means stuff is painfully cheap, so they don't have to try to make money themselves for things that they want. They don't even care if the bot cheats anymore, only if it's actually using legit money instead of stolen money that gets chargebacked (As evidence that the map bots get their maps from a bot under the ground, which I showed in my own thread.)

[Kyrj]

Except Square won't invest anything. Why would they, when bots quite literally make them money?

Every bot is an extra $15 a month. On top of that, as already pointed out, a good chunk of the playerbase actually enjoys bots existing because that means stuff is painfully cheap, so they don't have to try to make money themselves for things that they want. They don't even care if the bot cheats anymore, only if it's actually using legit money instead of stolen money that gets chargebacked (As evidence that the map bots get their maps from a bot under the ground, which I showed in my own thread.)

I mean I would love for the bots to be gone like the cockroaches they are, but it will never happen.

[Jijifli]

I mean I would love for the bots to be gone like the cockroaches they are, but it will never happen.

Agreed. When the materials to craft a new thing sell for twice as much as what they make, it's really not worth it to craft at all. The only areas available at this point in crafting are niche items and housing, and both of those sell very slowly, on top of the fact that one is even so limited on my server that it's rare for someone new to get a house and need the furnishings.

Gear? Botted. Food? Botted. Potions? Botted. Aethersand for gathering? Botted. Go get Cobalt or suffer.

[KageTokage]

The ARR gil farmers come back too quickly to realistically be kept under control, but the level 80 bots that are controlling the economy would not return nearly as quickly even if they're resorting to use of level/MSQ skips to hit the cap faster.

SE really doesn't stand to gain anything financially from banning them though, so at this point I think only bad press could possibly get them to start taking this more seriously.

[Kaurhz]

There's a thousand and one threads of people saying they're unsubbing because of this and that. That's what I'm referring to. It's still part of the typical nonsense that floats around.

Except this "typical nonsense" is a perfectly valid thread to create, irrespective of how many duplicate threads there are; it's a significant enough issue, and people shall continue to do so whilst it remains an issue like they do any other topic. It's a breath of freshair to have a post like this considering some of the posts as of late, being about trying to create false narratives on the blacklist, and whitelist terms, and so forth.

Except Square won't invest anything. Why would they, when bots quite literally make them money?

Every bot is an extra $15 a month. On top of that, as already pointed out, a good chunk of the player base actually enjoys bots existing because that means stuff is painfully cheap, so they don't have to try to make money themselves for things that they want. They don't even care if the bot cheats anymore, only if it's actually using legit money instead of stolen money that gets chargeback (As evidence that the map bots get their maps from a bot under the ground, which I showed in my own thread.)

Sure.

False, sure, they will lose some money, but many and I mean many bots operate via trial accounts thus there is no profit barring that which can be used to overinflate their population numbers. So going to disagree with this one.

What you don't accommodate for is that whilst bots will go, players making money will factor in for economic shifts so it'd put people in a position where they're more likely to resort to that previous avenue that was bot infested to make Gil. Sure, shard prices will rise up, then this price will incentivize players to actually gather it in order to make Gil, and in many cases allow some newer and lower level players to flourish. It's not as simple as this market will just die. Similarly if items from maps spike then equally more people will do maps as an avenue to make Gil once again. Besides, crafting being so 'profitless' is largely lent to the oversimplification and ease of the system as much as it is anything else

[Hyperia]

Sounds like you need a break, I’m relaxing myself right now during the content drought.

As to the bots, sadly you will never get rid of them. It’s a Spy Vs Spy situation with them. You block them one way and they figure out another. If you fight them too hard, the collateral damage gets way too high as you start to hurt legit players.

The thing about cheaters is that they are ruining the experience for themselves and eventually, they will loose interest and leave.

I know this is not what you are wanting to hear but this is the reality we live in.

[TwistedTea]

My sub is set to expire in two days so this will be my last post most likely. I canceled my sub because of the bots ruining crafting...

Good on you for voting with your wallet.

As you've stated, bots have been an issue for years and SE only seems to tackle the RMT spam bots.

So it leads to assumptions that SE has deemed bots not worth devoting resources to and/or SE profits from bots.

Hope you come back when things get better or you find a better game.

[Kes13a]

Dude if crafting was your last refuge of fun in FF14 I promise you it was more of a you situation then bots being your breaking point. Find me an MMO where bots do not run the entire market. Also how do you prove it?

Only thing developers listen to is verifiable evidence. Download OBS and create a Youtube video detailing the bots and how they do it. Japanese developers are super sensitive to bad press and will fix it.

fat chance. they have three people that look into bots and I think they dont really care about any server that isnt based in Japan.

they have been sent tons of evidence by people doing their job for them, and RMT rings and bots are being run without consequence while they ban RP'ers.

SE has a weird priority set. but do not delude yourself, they do not listen to verifiable evidence either.