Mining botters... (the situation is bleak)

[xXRaineXx]

There are 64 servers in total (might have miscounted, correct me if I'm wrong) and just as a statement there are about 5m registered accounts. Let's take this into a theoretical calculation and say about 10% of the accounts are bots/gil spammers. That's 500,000 accounts, roaming endlessly throughout 64 servers.
To observe and report all 64 servers and find the odd cases will take a tremendous amount of time and resources. Even if there is a central data server that monitors all the data that goes on in every server, that still means there will be billions of coded data passing every minute.
Also, not everyone who looks like a bot is a bot. For example, I myself went out and farmed wool way back sometime during 2.0 from Karakuls. I would spend on average 4 hours a day about 2-3 times a week just endlessly farming. Does that make me a bot? No.
Every case needs to be examined, it might just be a person who is really determined to farm, who knows.

[Mycow8me]

I wouldn't doubt they are using stolen accounts. With the whole clickandbuy crap from years ago on ffxiv and other third party hosting of information... There's no way for SE to monitor all secure information. However that doesn't change the fact that stolen accounts are limited and usually require "reactivation" due to inactivity.

[WinterLuna]

I wouldn't doubt they are using stolen accounts. With the whole clickandbuy crap from years ago on ffxiv and other third party hosting of information... There's no way for SE to monitor all secure information. However that doesn't change the fact that stolen accounts are limited and usually require "reactivation" due to inactivity.

Genuine question - wouldn't some bots also be associated with gil sellers? If so, they make more than enough money to buy more accounts, and the problem would lie with players buying gil and not with SE themselves.

[Mycow8me]

Even a RMT company isn't going to rush to spend more money on an account. Not every mining bot is the super RMT company that doesn't mind hashing out the money for another account.

Actually you know what, I'm done with you, feel like commenting to you trivial anyway. Continue being a sheeple.

In other news:
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...s-%28Oct.-2%29

Just noticed this, explains a wave of new bots. Back to reporting I guess, system for reporting still needs work. Unhappy with current reporting system but atleast that post calmed me down a bit. The struggle to not bot is REAL but faith somewhat restored.

[WinterLuna]

Then don't be rude to me, delete my comment and edit yours. Good luck.

[AlphaFox]

Doesn't really help that ban in waves, after the items and such have already been sold and (most likely) sent to a dormant account that doesn't bot or advertise.

[Kosmos992k]

Doesn't really help that ban in waves, after the items and such have already been sold and (most likely) sent to a dormant account that doesn't bot or advertise.

They ban in waves because they are investigating, and ban accounts related to theinvestigation when done, not as they go. This is so they can trace the botting accounts, the bankers, the advertisers and the trading accounts that put stuff on the MB. The bots can't be instabanned because each needs to be investigated to be sure before action is taken. Plus leaving the farm bots in fact allows them to trace the entire network the bot is part off. The ban waves are basically the 'network' of related RMT acvounts being removed at once.