Bot issues

[Canadane]

The biggest issue is the report system, since it requires you to be able to remember names like Jfdnjuvrio Xvmdrin to fill in a report. They do try, but the botters/RMT sites make/steal a new account and make a new level 1 to spam. Dealing with botters is pretty difficult form what I've gathered and 14 becoming so popular now it sadly means more bots.

Those are just the overseas gil farm bots.
If anything those are wiped out more often than others.

The real issue I think is the otherwise legitimate players using bots for repetitive tasks or extended grinding. They will cheat at an endgame level while the gil selling farms just have battalions of generic characters scripted through the game to farm as much gil as they can. Those are easy to stop. Stop buying gil.

Honestly it's nearly two separate and different issues here.

[KageTokage]

I've started seeing piles of ARC bots farming the piddly 200 gil reward from reclearing the Hall of the Novice trials in upper Limsa Lominsa Decks.

You only get maybe 100 gil per minute tops...but when there's 50+ bots at it I suppose it adds up quickly.

It does make me think that even if SE opted to start attacking their farming methods instead of the bots themselves, they'd always find somewhere to get their money from regardless.

[Goji1639]

There's a huge difference between simply noticing bots and the due diligence it takes to PROVE an account is botting, and that the account being reported isn't a stolen one.

Unfortunately it's just a losing battle. SE would have to delve into questionably legal territory in order to actually monitor our clients to confirm that people are running botting software, and without doing that they're basically guessing when they shut down an account. Meaning, they're taking back $100's worth of digital content, no refund, based on something they believe you're doing but can't PROVE you're doing.

Banning accounts for botting is complicated because it requires TONS of circumstantial evidence, since they can't legally get any real evidence.

[Doozer]

The biggest issue is the report system, since it requires you to be able to remember names like Jfdnjuvrio Xvmdrin to fill in a report.

I usually take a screenshot while targeting them so I don't forget their name.

Even if it seems pointless, I'll always report people I see botting, because even if it's just a 1% chance, it's more than if I didn't report them at all. I'll always report people who break the rules of the game in a way that's beyond acceptable (like maybe swearing because they got a little annoyed, that's not a big deal), because why should the rest of us follow the rules when they don't. Botting not only gives them an unfair advantage over everyone else, but it also screws up the economy, which hurts every player in one way or another.

Taking the time to report the non-RMT bots you see usually doesn't take that long anyway, so I do it no matter what.

[Canadane]

There's a huge difference between simply noticing bots and the due diligence it takes to PROVE an account is botting, and that the account being reported isn't a stolen one.

Unfortunately it's just a losing battle. SE would have to delve into questionably legal territory in order to actually monitor our clients to confirm that people are running botting software, and without doing that they're basically guessing when they shut down an account. Meaning, they're taking back $100's worth of digital content, no refund, based on something they believe you're doing but can't PROVE you're doing.

Banning accounts for botting is complicated because it requires TONS of circumstantial evidence, since they can't legally get any real evidence.

SE can absolutely ban you for any basically reason, they don't require you to have some legal US based court with a jury of your peers to prove innocence. Yes you may lose hundreds of dollars of digital items but hey, that's the risk you take for online services like this. If SE decided to shut down 14 for good, don't expect a refund. If you find yourself banned for breaking the ToS don't expect a refund.

It's not that they legally require tons of circumstantial evidence, it's that SE wishes to have tons of evidence before taking action.

I usually take a screenshot while targeting them so I don't forget their name.

/e <t>

It'll echo your targets name, so only you can see it in your chat log. Makes copying and pasting a bit easier.

[Doozer]

/e <t>

It'll echo your targets name, so only you can see it in your chat log. Makes copying and pasting a bit easier.

Ah, I didn't know you could do that. Good idea.

[Goji1639]

SE can absolutely ban you for any basically reason, they don't require you to have some legal US based court with a jury of your peers to prove innocence. Yes you may lose hundreds of dollars of digital items but hey, that's the risk you take for online services like this. If SE decided to shut down 14 for good, don't expect a refund. If you find yourself banned for breaking the ToS don't expect a refund.

It's not that they legally require tons of circumstantial evidence, it's that SE wishes to have tons of evidence before taking action.

Eh no, they absolutely cannot ban you for any reason and just walk away with your money; that's very illegal. They have to be able to present a convincing case that your broke their ToS, and that is absolutely why every game like this goes through a time consuming process of accumulating circumstantial evidence before closing an account for botting.

That's why it's not as easy as just sitting in a popular botting area and banning everyone that's "clearly" a bot, as some of you think it should be.

[Doozer]

Eh no, they absolutely cannot ban you for any reason and just walk away with your money; that's very illegal.

Actually, yes they can. In the user agreement (linked here), it states:

SQUARE ENIX MAY SUSPEND, TERMINATE, MODIFY, OR DELETE FFXIV SERVICE ACCOUNTS, CHARACTERS, VIRTUAL GOODS, OR THE SERVICE ALTOGETHER, AT ANY TIME FOR ANY REASON OR FOR NO REASON, WITH OR WITHOUT NOTICE OR LIABILITY TO YOU

(Bolded for emphasis)

You agree to the user agreement and you agree to whatever is in it. That's how it works. They can delete your account just for fun and there's nothing you can do about it.

[Goji1639]

Actually, yes they can. In the user agreement (linked here), it states:



(Bolded for emphasis)

You agree to the user agreement and you agree to whatever is in it. That's how it works. They can delete your account just for fun and there's nothing you can do about it.

There are regulations and consumer protections that prevent companies from stealing from their customers. If there weren't SE could add "you agree to have your personal information sold to criminals" to page 110 of their ToS and magically not be liable for their criminal actions. That's not how it works.

I can't create a service, take your money, and then prevent you from accessing the service simply because I feel like it. That's incredibly illegal, and no matter what the ToS says SE can't do that. If they did they would be facing a massive class action lawsuit and that ToS would not hold up. SE does their due diligence because they have to.

That clause in their ToS is likely meant to cover the eventuality that their servers may shut down one day. That's different.

[Doozer]

No, that's not how it works. There are regulations and consumer protections that prevent companies from stealing from their customers. If there weren't SE could add "you agree to have you personal information sold to criminals" to page 110 of their ToS and magically not be liable for their criminal actions.

I can't create a service, take your money, and then prevent you from accessing the service simply because I feel like it. That's incredibly illegal, and no matter what the ToS says SE can't do that. If they did they would be facing a massive class action lawsuit and that ToS would not hold up. SE does their due diligence because they have to.

That clause in their ToS is likely meant to cover the eventuality that their servers may shut down one day. That's different.

Actually they can just do that. They're a private company, and you agree to their terms when you create your account. You can't just say "that's different, that's not how it works" and it will be so. They reserve the right to do anything to your account at any time, and you agreed to that because you're here posting. You can't just call the police because you got banned in a video game and don't know why.

But if I'm wrong, please direct me to a website where I can read about this law you say they would be breaking. Though it's important to know that SE does originate in Japan and I'm not 100% sure how laws relating to those things work internationally. So I understand if you're unable to produce that for me.