Bots in Frontlines - Do something.

[Zojha]

It's a common misconception that Frontlines was dead before.

That depends on how you define "dead" and "active".

During off hours, it didn't pop at all. As you approached primetime, it slowly started to pick up, where you'd randomly get either instant queues or hour long queues depending on whether people happened to be there or not, typically with the same players each match. To me, that qualifies as "dead".
For somewhat objective numbers, one can refer to the lodestone rankings, weekly and monthly respectively. It goes all the way back to 2016 and gives you a rough idea of activity - Someone on the JP forums actually made a graph of it (Page 521 of their FL thread IIRC). The difference between Data Centers is quite staggering.

As for bots, others already noticed: They're here for rewards and changing those is the easiest way to combat them if SE doesn't change their policy on external evidence.

After looking at the lodestone however, I have my doubts that simply making things "win reliant" would change much. Bots still manage over 16% winrate easily, which is only half of what you can expect in a regular 3 team setup and a decent enough payout considering it's entirely free for the bot user.
Contribution is a nice idea, but flawed in practice. Joining in progress isn't even much of an issue, you can simply ease the requirement proportionally to the time on the clock, cut it in half flat or whatever.
The main issue is that there's simply no good metric. You can do lots of damage/kills/assists/healing and deaths while senselessly zerging around, ignoring objectives. Even bots can get some decent stats with that strategy and might end up being programmed to all cluster together and do just that. You can also have horrible numbers in everything because your team didn't have healers and got steamrolled. And if you then keep out of fights and focus on objectives instead, chances are your contribution isn't gonna be high enough. That's an issue especially in Seal Rock, where you can't use damage to ice as contribution factor.

Removing the rewards flat is more practical. But then you sure as heck are going to lose regular players as well, because rewards are the main thing keeping this PvP going. Which makes the only realistic option a ban of the bot users. Stay tuned for the Q&A with it's like 1000 likes on botting posts in the thread. Chances are however, banning all the bot users would affect their bottom line too much and they'll instead try to disable the bots via convoluted means that don't do anything but inconvenience normal users.

[Enlial]

That depends on how you define "dead" and "active".

Most things in this world depend on "how you define them." All of them, I think, actually. But by any reasonable standards, Wolve's den, before it got scraped, was dead. Frontlines, before it got bot infested, was not. Pretty clear difference.

[hynaku]

Please do something about the bots and hackers in frontline. Pretty sure saw group teleport to there healer that was attacking our base. Because had a good view and didn't see one of them coming and in a instant being attacked by 5 more that showed up out on nowhere. One thing want to know I'm playing a bard with hp buff, attack plus buff, and reduce damage buff and faced one on one a mnc and they did huge damage to me but I hardly did any to them. I don't see how they can have way better defense when the two classes share the same gear.

[Divinemights]

. I don't see how they can have way better defense when the two classes share the same gear.

It is because you let MCH get close to you and you ate a brat combo. It is you don’t understand MCH mechanic and didn’t know BRD’s strength. That MCH is not cheating

[hynaku]

It is because you let MCH get close to you and you ate a brat combo. It is you don’t understand MCH mechanic and didn’t know BRD’s strength. That MCH is not cheating

wrong we was not close but ways away from each other. plus shouldn't taken 2 people to take down one mcn with no healer. sounds like cheating to me. also have every class to 70 and know how to play them. Also same match solo killed a pld and a rdm. I'm pretty sure mcn not stronger than a tank or a rdm in pvp.

[Divinemights]

wrong we was not close but ways away from each other. plus shouldn't taken 2 people to take down one mcn with no healer. sounds like cheating to me. also have every class to 70 and know how to play them. Also same match solo killed a pld and a rdm. I'm pretty sure mcn not stronger than a tank or a rdm in pvp.

What I am going to say is not mean to offend you but give you a briefing of what really has happened
The group you are referring is a premade of 6 to 8 verterans.
They used their healer as beacon and box in the target when the healer is attacked.

In regard to lonewolf type MCH solo killing people, all I can say is that you are underestimate the MCH in this expansion.
I am also surprised at how you overestimate tanks and rdms.

[Zsolen]

It's easy to kill as MCH.... I've soloed some healers before.

[KageTokage]

I'm curious.

Did anyone translate what they had to say about the botting situation during the recent live letters Q&A? They seemed to mostly be talking about the PvP bots.

Still doubt anything is going to change in the long run, though...

[LORD_METATRON]

Please do something about botters in pvp. Feel extremely disappointing to start a Frontline and see 6 to 7 members afk at base ignoring everything knowing you're going to lose in such pathetic way. I happened to meet several of these bots that either stand afk at base or move in line automated. Some of these bots also have The Legend title giving us concern that cheats out of the known Ungarmax may have been used as already happened for speed hacking/pomander cheats to earn their clears. Apart from RMT bots there are lot bots owned from players that constantly gather/craft in the overworld affecting game economy.These bots have been directly affecting pvp content too for several past few months since got added exp reward. Something has to be reworked in the current Frontline system in order decrease bots activity or limit it.
This Tread has just reached over 1000 views in few weeks.Is something that concern a decent amount of the pvp community.
Please pass our concern to development team and let us know if something being done about it to save Frontlines thanks

[KageTokage]

They already did pass people's concerns during the live letter.

Their response was basically "Keep reporting the bots". I suppose we'll just have to see if the number of bans in coming weeks actually indicates whether they're stepping things up or not.

There was a noticeable lull in the activity of two major gathering bots on our server, and I also noticed the crafter they normally supply (Who also spends like 99% of his time botting to spam craft infusions) cleaning out the market of materials, which seems to suggest that they may have actually gotten a temporary ban, which would be slightly encouraging considering that they had previously gone untouched for months...