Is special task force exists?

[JunseiKei]

~snip~

Last I had heard, the really popular hunt tracker (required you to be within a certain distance of an A rank before telling you where it was - anyone also using the client would also receive this information; S ranks were echoed as soon as they spawned if you were on the map) simply doesn't work anymore. It's been years since it was last updated - the person who worked on it now works for Discord and can't update both. The other tracker (far less popular) allowed you to see barely ahead of where you could see in game. It also couldn't tell the difference between a chocobo named after a hunt and the actual hunt.

I heard on this coming patch of Eureka Pyros, they're going to start letting you purchase Armor/Accessory upgrade mats using Centurio Hunt marks.

If you mean for this new raid tier, it's entirely too soon for this.

[KageTokage]

Last I had heard, the really popular hunt tracker (required you to be within a certain distance of an A rank before telling you where it was - anyone also using the client would also receive this information; S ranks were echoed as soon as they spawned if you were on the map) simply doesn't work anymore. It's been years since it was last updated - the person who worked on it now works for Discord and can't update both. The other tracker (far less popular) allowed you to see barely ahead of where you could see in game. It also couldn't tell the difference between a chocobo named after a hunt and the actual hunt.

The former tracker seems to have been revived by someone because certain individuals on Cactaur regularly call the locations of S ranks the instant they spawn even if they're nowhere near the thing and I'm only the one present at the hunt (Which rules out the possibility of it being relayed to them from someone else).

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't accomplish anything other then allowing unscrupulous hunters quicker access to the locations of hunts. We try to round up people who are actively involved in spawning hunts prior to opening the floodgates and letting everyone else know about them because it seems only fair, but this is throwing a wrench in that idea.

[JunseiKei]

The former tracker seems to have been revived by someone because certain individuals on Cactaur regularly call the locations of S ranks the instant they spawn even if they're nowhere near the thing and I'm only the one present at the hunt (Which rules out the possibility of it being relayed to them from someone else).

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't accomplish anything other then allowing unscrupulous hunters quicker access to the locations of hunts. We try to round up people who are actively involved in spawning hunts prior to opening the floodgates and letting everyone else know about them because it seems only fair, but this is throwing a wrench in that idea.

It wasn't resurrected, but I found there is another one that functions similarly to it. However, people posted that it brings up a virus prompt, so I assumed it was just a front to just get players' information. Apparently, it does work. Reading about on it, it still functions exactly like the other - needs to be within a certain distance of the A rank and within the same map as the S rank (you can spot a lot of the S ranks from quite a huge distance away) and anyone with the client also gets these notifications. So, that stinks.

Unless they state, or otherwise hint, they are using a third party application within the game, there's no way to report players and have disciplinary action taken against them.

[dragonseth07]

It wasn't resurrected, but I found there is another one that functions similarly to it. However, people posted that it brings up a virus prompt, so I assumed it was just a front to just get players' information. Apparently, it does work. Reading about on it, it still functions exactly like the other - needs to be within a certain distance of the A rank and within the same map as the S rank (you can spot a lot of the S ranks from quite a huge distance away) and anyone with the client also gets these notifications. So, that stinks.

Unless they state, or otherwise hint, they are using a third party application within the game, there's no way to report players and have disciplinary action taken against them.

The program you're all talking about basically works like a Hunt LS:

When one person with it gets in range of a Hunt, it sends a message to everyone saying what and where. The only difference I've seen is that the detection range is bigger than render distance, which is ultimately not that big of a deal.

A Hunt tracker program isn't the problem. The problem is jerk players. Just like parsers and everything else.

[alimdia]

If a comparably large game like WoW can keep their botting/cheating issues under control for the most part, I fail to see why XIV can't.

Also, the sniffer app leaks information on more then just S rank locations and is used more extensively then you might think.

That's a completely different scenario. Bots aren't much of an issue (not non-existent, mind you) because the WoW token exists, whether people want to hear it or not the token takes away customers from chinese gold sellers since people would rather do it through a sanctioned and safe system. Something like these hunt programs in WoW would likely be considered an addon, so it would fall out of the scope of cheating. A lot of the addons in WoW would be considered unfair advantage here if done through a third party app.

The former tracker seems to have been revived by someone because certain individuals on Cactaur regularly call the locations of S ranks the instant they spawn even if they're nowhere near the thing and I'm only the one present at the hunt (Which rules out the possibility of it being relayed to them from someone else).

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't accomplish anything other then allowing unscrupulous hunters quicker access to the locations of hunts. We try to round up people who are actively involved in spawning hunts prior to opening the floodgates and letting everyone else know about them because it seems only fair, but this is throwing a wrench in that idea.

Note that even the parser people here use has a plugin for hunting, as well as voiced hunt callouts.

It wasn't resurrected, but I found there is another one that functions similarly to it. However, people posted that it brings up a virus prompt, so I assumed it was just a front to just get players' information. Apparently, it does work. Reading about on it, it still functions exactly like the other - needs to be within a certain distance of the A rank and within the same map as the S rank (you can spot a lot of the S ranks from quite a huge distance away) and anyone with the client also gets these notifications. So, that stinks.

Unless they state, or otherwise hint, they are using a third party application within the game, there's no way to report players and have disciplinary action taken against them.

I was reading a bit about the new one and it seems like the project is open source. Whether people verified it to make sure it's not stealing data is another thing.

[KageTokage]

They historically haven't offered that option until the next major patch after a raid releases.

I'm also not sure what it has to do with people using third party apps to be a nuisance, though hunting in general tends to become a lot less civil once Centurio Seals become needed for something other then materia.

[Vnolan]

The problem "was solved" when they posted a video with OBVIOUS humiliations of our group on YouTube. BUT only one guy get 9 days ban for posting this video.

How do you know for sure that's what happened? That would go against "SE doesn't accept outside sources".

How many proves we need to gather to make STF notice this big problem like "radar using to get an anfair advantage"?

Don't bother with the STF. About the only thing they do is deal with those RMT bots with gibberish names. They can't detect hunt radar (or anything else really) so you'd have to submit proof to the GMs. Contact a GM in game and ask what proof you would need or explain the situation and ask what you can do. If they redirect you to file reports to the STF, ignore that, since as you've seen, it's a waste of time.

What is radar -- some 3rd party app?

You know how monsters only load in as you get close to them? S ranks don't require you to be near and will load in once they spawn and are visible from anywhere in the map. The third-party apps are able to detect the S rank being loaded and provide a signal to the user. A prank that used to be done was to rename your chocobo to that of a hunt, summon it and watch as the radar users would rush to your location.

One of the first searches of hunt radar gives you another forum thread:
Radar for hunts, is this fair? Take a look.

That's over four years old. It was closed within 12 hours of being opened with the generic "report to the STF for further investigation" comment. Since then, has SE done anything to prevent the use of radar or change hunts so they can't make use of them? No. Hence, the Devs don't care.

[KageTokage]

I feel like the fact that they're seemingly psychic and consistently know where the S ranks are immediately could be considered a "hint", personally, probably moreso then anything they actually say in chat short of openly admitting using some kind of program.

[KageTokage]

My main beef with the sniffer apps is that they're really crossing into the "blatant cheating" territory by giving their users information they were never meant to know that also gives them a huge advantage over other players in a free-for-all environment where people aren't wanting to share hunts.

It's not too bad in small maps like Upper La Noscea that can be covered quickly or wide open ones where you can easily spot the S ranks from afar like Western La Noscea, but for huge zones like East Shroud and Coerthas Central Highlands that are big and filled with clutter that makes the S ranks difficult to spot, it can be hellish.