Attention devs: Game Surveillance Unit re: open world Bots.

[SalemP]

The fact that you came into this thread to DEFEND botting boggles my mind. You can say what you want, but the bottom line is it is cheating and shouldn't be tolerated. You saying essentially just sit back and accept it is what I find most confounding. I really have to question when someone openly supports botting.


As an aside, it literally takes me 30 seconds to make a post in this thread or make a screenshot. It's hardly a waste of time. If it's a waste of time, then it's bc SE hasn't taken action, and in that case shame on SE, not shame on me. Anyway, if you don't like the thread, don't look at it.

SE does ban bots, they post ban count reports on the lodestone 3 times a month.

I'd like to know more information on this tbqh. I see the numbers, but then why are the same bots that have been reported over and over by several people still running around? What does a bot/account have to do to qualify for banning? Simply botting obviously isn't enough as we can clearly see from this thread. I had a group of bots that I know for a fact were reported by several people (it was discussed in "shout"), and still were there weeks later.

Now on a possibly positive note, the group of Lalas that were on my server have not been seen since 2.4. idk if it's bc of the patch, though I imagine the account runner would have made sure his bots were up and running again. Possibly banned? I can only hope, but I have no way of knowing for sure.

[zer0patches]

Where did I say I supported botting? I said banning bots will do absolutely nothing to fix the issue except make some that need to see 'action' feel better. I said to follow the money.

SE does take action but banning the open world bots will not do anything but spawn more bots. Likely it is couriers & advertisers banned which you never see in the open world. Depending on the software being utilized it is much easier to catch some bots than others through automated detection routines. Player reports are the least effective means of bot detection and typically a waste of administrative resources. People tend to have personal motivations for reporting others and dealing with 'he said she said' is a waste of time and money when you could put that towards developing better detection algorithms.

I feel bad for SE because no matter what they do about a problem that is never going to go away there are always going to be dissenters that want to gripe that not enough is being done.

[SalemP]

Where did I say I supported botting?

You said that banning bots might do more harm than good, and claimed that it stimulates an economy (which certainly sounds like a good thing). You also claimed that some people "enjoy the abundance of cheaper" items, which to be fair is not untrue. However, you didn't include yourself in that, so I misremembered the exact statement you made. Sounds to me like you see a lot of benefit in bots. But perhaps I was mistaken in saying you support them, so my apologies. Though one could argue that doing nothing (as you seem to suggest) IS the same as supporting.

Player reports are the least effective means of bot detection and typically a waste of administrative resources. People tend to have personal motivations for reporting others and dealing with 'he said she said' is a waste of time and money when you could put that towards developing better detection algorithms.

If reporting is actually detrimental, then why bother having it there at all? I can't speak for everyone, but I don't have anything personal against these bots. I don't even know the person who runs them, nor have they directly insulted me or hurt me. I mean, I don't disagree with you that buyers & sellers of gil are a problem. But the bots support the RMTs. They don't get their gil out of thin air.

I feel bad for SE because no matter what they do about a problem that is never going to go away there are always going to be dissenters that want to gripe that not enough is being done.

Feel bad for them?? Wow what an angel you are, god bless. I mean, the nerve of the people to complain about blatant cheating in a game they pay good money for. Poor poor SE drying their tears with my money.

Making a couple of posts about bots makes me a "dissenter"? Do I expect SE to play God and make the impossible possible? No. But as long as there's a problem, why should I be silent about it? I could argue that as long as a problem exists, they AREN'T doing enough about it. At what point is it ok to say, well this is an acceptable amount of cheating, let's just leave it here and not do any more about it? Even if they do everything they can to eliminate bots/RMTs, as long as they still exist, I have a right and a duty to talk about it.

[zer0patches]

You said that banning bots might do more harm than good...

It would, servers would be overrun with field bots playing catch up. Banning them would just create x more bots to take their place and only makes the situation worse.

and claimed that it stimulates an economy (which certainly sounds like a good thing).

It does. It is as long as people don't buy gold to purchase merchandise at over inflated values.

**Although** Even legit players reap the benefits of selling X at Y-1 value that gold sellers are trying to sell at Y. The only people that lose are players not trying to participate in the economy, which turns out to be what, the gold buyers.

[ToffeeCoffee]

what he said

If the bots that work for RMT companies aren't being banned, then same goes for actual players who are botting or running bots on other accounts.
While the RMT bots aren't interested in something like housing..a player who runs bots and is extremely rich as a consequence - could afford multiple plots and prevent legit players from accessing. It could also fund tier IV materia//top tier Demimateria//Supra tools//crafted Primal weapons with ease which a lot of legit players have trouble affording.

If SE don't stand by and enforce this policy then they should change it.

2.1 Cheating and Botting. You may not create or use any unauthorized cheats, bots, automation software, hacks, mods or any other unauthorized software or hardware designed to modify the Game and gameplay. In addition, you may not take advantage of game system bugs and exploits during gameplay.

[zer0patches]

You also claimed that some people "enjoy the abundance of cheaper" items, which to be fair is not untrue. However, you didn't include yourself in that, so I misremembered the exact statement you made. Sounds to me like you see a lot of benefit in bots.

There is but it's still wrong by some standard. Some people enjoy cannibus although there's a lot of the population that still believe in 'Reefer Madness'. LULZ.

... my apologies. ...

Apology accepted.

If reporting is actually detrimental, then why bother having it there at all? I can't speak for everyone, but I don't have anything personal against these bots.

It's not detrimental. Just moot and why it's typically ignored. Yes it's necessary to deal with individual issues but dealing with the greater cause of the issue has much more impact. SE is doing an impeccable job, see any other MMO that has a REAL bot problem.

[zer0patches]

Just for starter, I liked your post. You are awesome BTW.

Feel bad for them?? Wow what an angel you are, god bless.

Awe, I <3 you to.

I mean, the nerve of the people to complain about blatant cheating in a game they pay good money for. Poor poor SE drying their tears with my money.

This. Just this. Amen brother.

[zer0patches]

If the bots that work for RMT companies aren't being banned, then same goes for actual players who are botting or running bots on other accounts.

While the RMT bots aren't interested in something like housing..a player who runs bots and is extremely rich as a consequence - could afford multiple plots and prevent legit players from accessing. It could also fund tier IV materia with ease which a lot of legit players have trouble affording.

You aren't getting rich off botting your main or 1-2 extra. You are gaming the system but you are not 'extremely' rich except maybe in real life, lol. Most people that are botting main accounts are doing it overnight to level alt jobs etc. because of limited time or attention span. Not to get rich.

No one that can afford to run 2x extra accounts for botting to make said money would spend the extra 40-50$ a month rather than buy it from GS which can do it exponentially cheaper.

[SalemP]

Now on a possibly positive note, the group of Lalas that were on my server have not been seen since 2.4. idk if it's bc of the patch, though I imagine the account runner would have made sure his bots were up and running again. Possibly banned? I can only hope, but I have no way of knowing for sure.

I spoke too soon.

[zer0patches]

So your mad why?

Cause the bots that you notice didn't get banned and would have gotten replaced instantly anyway even if they were?

The bots these were turning in materials and money to were banned but you don't know that because SE doesn't advertise names for liability reasons because of privacy concerns and potential to be sued for negligence if they make a mistake?

Gold buyers now have to pay more money for gold due to less availability?

What, please explain????

I spoke too soon.