[Dev response please] In-game macros and botting clarification

[Luhy]

I would like someone from SE to make a statement about whether or not in-game macros being spammed is "botting." Lots of players are using keyboards and controllers with Turbo buttons and holding it down with a rubber band or however else and "botting" things like sheep for fleece. I could turn off /shouts if all of the "SO AND SO IS A BOT, REPORT THEM" shouts bothered me, but with all of the conflict and unnecessary threads on Lodestone that this causes, I can't help but wonder if a lot of this hate and ill-well could be avoided if SE would just speak up on the matter. Either tell people that in-game macros are fine, change how in-game macros work or define it as "botting" and start giving people warnings and temp-bans for it.

Also, if you fixed crafting and made HQ materials matter again or made it so people with terrible gear couldn't get 100% HQ so easily, this "botting" matter would be a lot less prevalent as there would be other markets for people to make money with.

[NightWrath]

I believe anything that u use that doesn't come from the game it self could be consider botting, since u can produce a massive macro like this with in game mechanics, using this kind of stuff u can just farm craft, monster and exp, without being on pc.

[Alberel]

There's no clarification needed OP. It says in the TOS that ANY method by which you can have your character play the game automatically whilst you're AFK or doing anything else is against the rules. The in-game macros are limited in length for a reason: to prevent you being able to entirely automate gameplay. Spamming a macro with your finger on a key is fine; spamming one with a programmable turbo button or using a rubber band to hold the key down is an attempt to automate gameplay and therefore is in breach of the rules. Please go and read the TOS before wasting devs time getting unnecessary clarification.

[Firewall]

This new translator is great it even does Dbag to english:

Luhy: Devs please respond if I can cheat in this way and get away with it

[NeruMew]

There's no clarification needed OP. It says in the TOS that ANY method by which you can have your character play the game automatically whilst you're AFK or doing anything else is against the rules. The in-game macros are limited in length for a reason: to prevent you being able to entirely automate gameplay. Spamming a macro with your finger on a key is fine; spamming one with a programmable turbo button or using a rubber band to hold the key down is an attempt to automate gameplay and therefore is in breach of the rules. Please go and read the TOS before wasting devs time getting unnecessary clarification.

Yup, considered "Absentee playing" (or something like that, which means your character playing on its own without your interaction) and is a bannable offense if they catch you. Like he said, it's very clear in the ToS.

[cekchuck]

I would like someone from SE to make a statement about whether or not in-game macros being spammed is "botting." Lots of players are using keyboards and controllers with Turbo buttons and holding it down with a rubber band or however else and "botting" things like sheep for fleece.

Have you used macros? I don't know about sheep fleecing, but I know that when you're crafting, if you spam a macro, the commands will get intermingled with the already executing macro screwing up both. It's bad enough right now that lag will cause a lot of your macro commands to misfire, not sure what you would change to make it more difficult or why. The only thing it buys you is allowing you 2 or 3 keystrokes instead of a dozen, so it saves you from carpal tunnel syndrome. Not sure how this "rubber band" method would be possible in crafting.

[Alhanelem]

1) Putting [Dev response please] will not increase the chances of a dev response. Just post normally and if they have a response to give, they'll give you one.

2) macros are allowed; absentee playing is not. In other words, you need to be present and in control of your character. if you are using macros to have your character automatically act without you needing to provide any input at all (e.g. you could go afk and your character mines for you etc) then you are breaking the rules.