An Open Letter: Dear SE, you and current RMT/bot issues

[Nepentha]

Ran into a group of map bots while running around on an alt on Balmung. Called it out in chat for everyone in the zone to come look. Because apparently the bot program had gone haywire. Most of them were standing there doing nothing (I switched jobs to a crafting role, then back to a tank role and suddenly two of them instantly began healing me, and once I was full health, went right back to just standing there), 2 were perpetually mounting, then dismounting over and over again. I mean, it was /obviously/ a bot controlled group. Any GM or SE employee who peeked at it would have come to the same conclusion.

Just about every player in the zone came over to look. The conversation in shout chat was depressing. Everyone knows this is going on and knows SE isn't doing anything about it. Nearly everyone who zoomed into see this going on reported them, but today when I did a check, they were all still on, still running maps in the same zone.

I've stopped trying to sell anything on the marketboard, having found other ways to make gil now that don't involve competing with bots. It's nice not to have that stressor, I can enjoy the game again.

[Kes13a]

Ran into a group of map bots while running around on an alt on Balmung. Called it out in chat for everyone in the zone to come look. Because apparently the bot program had gone haywire. Most of them were standing there doing nothing (I switched jobs to a crafting role, then back to a tank role and suddenly two of them instantly began healing me, and once I was full health, went right back to just standing there), 2 were perpetually mounting, then dismounting over and over again. I mean, it was /obviously/ a bot controlled group. Any GM or SE employee who peeked at it would have come to the same conclusion.

Just about every player in the zone came over to look. The conversation in shout chat was depressing. Everyone knows this is going on and knows SE isn't doing anything about it. Nearly everyone who zoomed into see this going on reported them, but today when I did a check, they were all still on, still running maps in the same zone.

I've stopped trying to sell anything on the marketboard, having found other ways to make gil now that don't involve competing with bots. It's nice not to have that stressor, I can enjoy the game again.

yeah its past the point of "out of hand" and SE really needs to do something about it.

its unreal how they continue to do.. what amounts to nothing when the population has exploded. they want to free up some server space.. ban the bots!