RMT Enforcement - Something Interesting is happeneing

[Zhao]

One thing I know for sure, in Malboro at least, I have not seen a single /tell or /shout. /says are still present however.
Curiously, I have noticed a potential pattern with these advertisements in /say from many hours doing homework while logged in to chat with friends or waiting on a timer. Every so often, the character advertising in /say will rotate out with another one. I do not know the timing/duration, or even if this amount of time is consistent for that matter, but it sure feels pretty consistent. Despite being probably obvious, anyone care to confirm/actually time them?

[LineageRazor]

Curiously, I have noticed a potential pattern with these advertisements

While I have no idea whether it's true or not, here's a theory: RMT, now aware of the reporting function, now fields saybots in pairs. One of the bots does its /say spam while the other bot stays silent and listens. As soon as the active saybot becomes silent, the other bot knows that it has been silenced by player reports. When that happens, the silent bot starts speaking while the RMT computers retire the now-useless silenced bot and load a new bot into the game to take its place. The new bot stays silent and listens to the new active bot until IT becomes silenced, and so on and so forth.

This could explain why the text and timing remains the same while the actual bots speaking periodically change.

[Niwashi]

One thing I know for sure, in Malboro at least, I have not seen a single /tell or /shout. /says are still present however.

Same on Coeurl. I'm pretty sure that's because the new reporting/silencing feature is preventing individual spam bots from lasting very long. With a new, faster rate at which the RMT companies would need to keep replacing them, purchased accounts are no longer financially viable for spam. They've relegated the in-game advertising aspect to just their free-trial accounts, where they can afford to keep replacing them faster. Free trial accounts have access to /say, but not /tell or /shout.

Every so often, the character advertising in /say will rotate out with another one. I do not know the timing/duration, or even if this amount of time is consistent for that matter, but it sure feels pretty consistent. Despite being probably obvious, anyone care to confirm/actually time them?

That would fit the expected pattern. With the bots being silenced faster due to reporting, the RMT companies, wanting their spam to continue, would have to keep replacing them faster. I haven't timed how long individual ones last, though. Maybe I will this weekend if I don't get too busy.