Player Feedback: Gathering Bots

[Aerowaffle]

You know what happens when you remove a bot? They make another one, why? Because you didn't take their gil. It's a basic Sting operation, you allow the drones to do their work til they lead you to the Queen Bee. Once you find the Queen Bee you get this.

http://na.finalfantasyxiv.com/lodest...164944b676725f

However if you just ban bots every time, you know what happens? The ones holding the gil just learn to play it safe, you don't lure them into a false sense of security and it's that false sense of security which allows them to catch nearly 39k accounts/users as noted above.

So ask yourself this, do you honestly think it's productive if the team were to just constantly ban 2-5 bots that most likely come from the same group while never finding the source? Because that's how you cause the issue to continue by going after the small fries.

I would agree, if it was indeed what was taking place.

But we're talking about situations where the same bots are seen for months on end. Are these same bots being used after the gil handlers are banned? I kinda doubt it.

If SE is leaving the gathering bots un-banned but banning the gil handlers; why? Why are they not banning it all in one fell swoop?

[SuperZay]

They tend to ban bots in waves. They don't want them to know what activity specifically got them banned I believe. They're part of the report you see on the lodestone every so often for Actions Taken Against In-Game RMT & Other Illicit Activities. For example Jan 5 - Time Period: Dec. 22, 2016 to Jan. 4, 2017

・Accounts receiving disciplinary action for RMT advertising: 1,232
・Accounts receiving disciplinary action for RMT/illicit activity: 47,989
・Action Details: Permanent ban from FINAL FANTASY XIV

the bots would fall under "illicit activity". However, as soon as a bunch of bots are banned, more will be created. The stuff they gather is sold on the Market Board and then the gil is prob used to sell to players buying into RMT.

The problem is by the time they actually ban them they'll have enough time to make profit for 100 more accounts, so that problem will go nowhere for a looooong time.

[Vnolan]

I gotta say that once a week I get a tell from someone testing me if I'm a bot and half the time I don't respond. They get angry and threaten to report, and because I'mnot here to justify anyone's paranoia of whether I'm a bot or not, I don't care. I'm not teleport glitching. I'm not hurting anyone. Heck, sometimes I don't even see the tell because I'm watching TV or the chat log fills up so fast. This is just a vigilante witch hunt because people are overly-sensitive to a real problem that can only be solved by devs.

Half the time? Don't respond at all if you don't want to. Let them report you. Absolutely nothing will be done if you aren't botting. Please don't place me in the same category as people who ask someone to respond to prove they aren't botting, lol.

People performing routine steps is not good enough proof of botting, even if someone is doing something a bit odd. However, when dozens of people are doing the same odd step, without any deviation, then there is a high likelihood of botting. In the link in the OP, there are six people zoning in and moving to the same spot before mounting up and flying away. Doesn't matter where they load in, they will all move to that spot before mounting up and flying off.

I'll play devil's advocate and say that all six know each other and are performing the same steps as part of some custom they have. As unlikely as that is, it is a valid excuse. The problem is, if you accept that as a valid reason, the same excuse can be used for all manner of botting as long they don't use hacks. Let me ask you: What proof would you need to say that someone is using a bot to automate gameplay?

Some players doing this have the gatherers maxed with only one DoW/DoM class at 60. Those would probably fall into the category of accounts made simply to farm. There are others that have cleared a12s and/or own houses.

[Mwynn]

I'll play devil's advocate and say that all six know each other and are performing the same steps as part of some custom they have.

I do know from my old MMORPG (That was extremely Bot infested, even Legit Players were being assaulted and insulted) that People would use the same Bot that was configurable and if two Players were choosing the same Option, they would perfom the same.
Like, let's say theres 2 Fishers choosing to Bot at Thaliak River for Blue Scrips, they use the same Skills automatically, the same Bait. It's all Pre-Set probably in the Bot Program and makes stuff easier to code without having to add millions of Options.

The same goes for the Miner/Botanist Bots, if one of them chooses to Ephermal Node Farm in Sea of Clouds as example, and both Players set up that Location on Miner, they will both behave the same exact Way.

I'm pretty sure though, coming from my Experience from Silkroad Online (The Bot Infested MMORPG) that the Developer or Creator tried to add as many Options as possible such as when the Bot detects nearby Players they wont Teleport Hack somewhere, unless the Player is out of the range.

Pretty much "Safety" Options not to get caught, but then... here it is Way too obvious.

[TroySoFab]

Botanist is supposed to be a gatherer. People will report for anything nowadays.