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

[ToffeeCoffee]

Actually you can. There's an option in the menus that it doesn't auto update when you move or do something.

You used to be able to pose as AFK and still be able to play but SE changed it. Now if you have the AFK status and use your keyboard/mouse controls in the active game window, the status is removed.
Haven't seen someone explain how you can legitimately do this yet so we can conclude that anyone with AFK status on and moving around (with an exception being if the character is on follow) or performing actions, is running on automation software.

[FriendlyUncle]

You used to be able to pose as AFK and still be able to play but SE changed it. Now if you have the AFK status and use your keyboard/mouse controls in the active game window, the status is removed.
Haven't seen someone explain how you can legitimately do this yet so we can conclude that anyone with AFK status on and moving around (with an exception being if the character is on follow) or performing actions, is running on automation software.

I'm pretty sure it's Busy not AFK that prevents the trades and such, correct me if I am wrong but Busy can be on while moving around. On another note I believe I'm seeing more and more legitimate players who have given in to botting, the alternative is they have had a hell of a lot of hijacked accounts.

I'm the game needs to be less grind-centric, its basically RNG Simulator 2014. And that kind of play style encourages botting and RMT activities. Want to gather or craft really awesome stuff? Better go GRIND with appropriate gear on so you can get your materia or go GRIND items to sell to purchase the materia. Not to mention materia melding for gathering and crafter requires overmelding which just adds fuel to the fire.

Want to upgrade your relics? Hope you are ready for this to get pants on head retard. Go farm Fates and pray that you get 12 atma within a timely manner, farm Myth to obtain a book to go clear more dungeons, mobs and fates. Repeat that what, 12 times? Novus, Again go grind some more mobs mindlessly to convert items to get the materia that you hopefully need and hopefully doesn't break. Nexus, go grind more stuff for glow.

Grind, Grind, Grind. I feel like Orc Peon from warcraft 3. Zugzug man. I understand its a japanese game, grind is part of it but this just seems excessive to the point where they are doing it to pad out content until the next patch, so to give themselves time to add more content they are inadvertently harming other parts of the game. I come from games like FFXI and EVE online, those have grind to it but at the very least, it felt rewarding. Spending some of my spare time I can play spirit binding to get crap materia I do not need or to break 12 of them is not rewarding.

Yes, bots are bad. But they need to take a long hard look at some of their game mechanics, reducing the grind will reduce the temptation to bot the tedious parts of the game and for people to resort to RMT for things like housing, materia, ranking cho's, etc.