The Bots are Back.

Phinix1

I personally reported two just in the course of 15 minutes playing in Cold Harbour.

They are being set up to run circuits in off-hours grinding CP. I am sure all the prime grinding real estate will be occupied by similar shenanigans once I hit vet levels. I am extremely saddened ZOS has not yet taken action with regard to the public outcry calling for CP caps and catch-up mechanics, as it provides a strong incentive for people to pay Hackers/Gold Farmers to make (and sell) these bots to grind their accounts for them.

I imagine it is quite a tastey business. I can't earn enough to buy a stupid horse writing free addons but people probably make thousands writing bots to cheat at the game! Such is human nature I guess.

Both of the bots had all lower case names. They were programmed to do little random "human" things like jump or light attack a couple times between routines, but they always do it at the exact same point and the routine is always the same.

Also, if the mob dies they will sit there attacking nothing until the script finishes.

I thought we were done with this but the chance to cheat at PVP with an unfair advantage for nothing has given them a reason to risk it. Some people find purpose in their life through cheating.

Read today's patch notes. Nothing about closing the gap.

Zershar_Vemod

They will never been gone OP.

WhiteCoatSyndrome

Still they should be reported anyway. At the very least it keeps their numbers down and ensures that the ones that remain have to be 'clever' enough not to be intrusive for those of us who actually play.

michaelb14a_ESO2

Clickbait CP system complaint in "disguise", lol

demendred

The bots are back in town, the bots are back in town!

Emma_Overload

I spend 5-6 hours per day in-game, and I NEVER see stuff like this. And if I ever did see any so-called "bots', what difference would it make?

Minding your own business has many benefits, I suggest the OP try it for a while and quit worrying about what OTHER PEOPLE are doing. Play your game, and let them play theirs.

As for the mythical "CP gap" (and yeah, I'm not the only one who noticed how you slipped this into a purported Bot Report), you just need to get out there and start grinding mobs like everyone else. You'll find that you gain CP a lot faster if you focus on killing the mobs instead of peeking through the curtains at your neighbors so you can type up "reports" on their activities!

SirAndy

I watched one for a while last night doing the rounds in VR "Eastmarch". Same thing, circle(ish) round fighting the same mobs over and over with a few "human" like distractions mixed in (always the same at the same exact spot). Using the same skills for each mob even if the mob has already died.

I ended up kiting a bunch of trolls his way and watched him die. I guess i could repeat that until he runs out of soul gems but i would probably be banned by ZOS because of "grieving"...

Xjcon

Emma_Eunjung wrote: »

I spend 5-6 hours per day in-game, and I NEVER see stuff like this. And if I ever did see any so-called "bots', what difference would it make?

Minding your own business has many benefits, I suggest the OP try it for a while and quit worrying about what OTHER PEOPLE are doing. Play your game, and let them play theirs.

As for the mythical "CP gap" (and yeah, I'm not the only one who noticed how you slipped this into a purported Bot Report), you just need to get out there and start grinding mobs like everyone else. You'll find that you gain CP a lot faster if you focus on killing the mobs instead of peeking through the curtains at your neighbors so you can type up "reports" on their activities!

Actually this does effect everyone. If bots get to race to the top that will make the gap that much greater, however I also have not seen something like this and I've been leveling my second character and am at VR11 right now. I'm sure at times as I run a circuit it could look just like a bot because I do the same thing over and over again. Reporting it is harmless if the player is actually playing.

QuadroTony

AlienDiplomat wrote: »

Also, if the mob dies they will sit there attacking nothing until the script finishes.

so its not a bot but macros
undetectable

Phinix1

Emma_Eunjung wrote: »

Minding your own business has many benefits, I suggest the OP try it for a while and quit worrying about what OTHER PEOPLE are doing. Play your game, and let them play theirs.

Yes, very noble.

Allow these cheaters to go about their business ruining the economy and PVP, but feel good about taking that high ground.

Personally, I WILL go about my business. After I report them and get their cheating account banned.

demendred

Hey, the Chinese needs to eat too!


But seriously, good luck on the reports. I remember when this game was riddled with bots.
Reporting them did little work. I suppose down the line, it was quelled, but like roaches they come back. It hurts the game yea. That's no bs.

Good luck M.bation.

Phinix1

QuadroTony wrote: »

AlienDiplomat wrote: »

Also, if the mob dies they will sit there attacking nothing until the script finishes.

so its not a bot but macros
undetectable

Not undetectable. Time sequence pattern profiling easily detects this.

Flaminir

While I'm sure there is some of it still going on, it's not even close to how it was at launch.

I haven't seen a bot since ZoS started taking action a year or so ago.... and haven't heard of any either.

Hopefully this is just very isolated... in which case not really a problem at the level/frequency it seems to be

Bromburak

Emma_Eunjung wrote: »

I spend 5-6 hours per day in-game, and I NEVER see stuff like this. And if I ever did see any so-called "bots', what difference would it make?

Minding your own business has many benefits, I suggest the OP try it for a while and quit worrying about what OTHER PEOPLE are doing. Play your game, and let them play theirs.

A gamer saying this? Can someone pinch me please, thats unbelievable.

Phinix1

Flaminir wrote: »

While I'm sure there is some of it still going on, it's not even close to how it was at launch.

I haven't seen a bot since ZoS started taking action a year or so ago.... and haven't heard of any either.

Hopefully this is just very isolated... in which case not really a problem at the level/frequency it seems to be

It is simple supply and demand.

When the game is new there was a lot of demand for "power leveling" and gold services, therefor a lot of money to be made selling these services, therefor a lot of bots.

Today most people have leveled several times and have plenty of gold. However, ZOS refusing to cap the CP system allowing unfair advantages to 24/7 grinding out CP opens up a new demand for CP power leveling.

Therefor money to be made again. Therefor bots.

Phinix1

Bromburak wrote: »

Emma_Eunjung wrote: »

I spend 5-6 hours per day in-game, and I NEVER see stuff like this. And if I ever did see any so-called "bots', what difference would it make?

Minding your own business has many benefits, I suggest the OP try it for a while and quit worrying about what OTHER PEOPLE are doing. Play your game, and let them play theirs.

A gamer saying this? Can someone pinch me please, thats unbelievable.

Probably bots.

LOL just kidding... I guess.

QuadroTony

AlienDiplomat wrote: »

QuadroTony wrote: »

AlienDiplomat wrote: »

Also, if the mob dies they will sit there attacking nothing until the script finishes.

so its not a bot but macros
undetectable

Not undetectable. Time sequence pattern profiling easily detects this.

if you ever saw marco recorder you must to kow that you can setup any random delay value

Pallmor

At least they TRY to hide now. Back in the day, you used to see large groups of them named with random letters moving around openly like trains on a track.

demendred

You should embrace the bots. They will not go away.

Reverb

Leeches and scammers and bots, oh my!

rb2001

Capture one and reprogram it to help you generate CPs.

winterbornb14_ESO

Simply put...........PvP.

demendred

Bots are life. Bots are love. If you don't like bots, you're racist.
More bots on computers, please!

Emma_Overload

Xjcon wrote: »

Emma_Eunjung wrote: »

I spend 5-6 hours per day in-game, and I NEVER see stuff like this. And if I ever did see any so-called "bots', what difference would it make?

Minding your own business has many benefits, I suggest the OP try it for a while and quit worrying about what OTHER PEOPLE are doing. Play your game, and let them play theirs.

As for the mythical "CP gap" (and yeah, I'm not the only one who noticed how you slipped this into a purported Bot Report), you just need to get out there and start grinding mobs like everyone else. You'll find that you gain CP a lot faster if you focus on killing the mobs instead of peeking through the curtains at your neighbors so you can type up "reports" on their activities!

Actually this does effect everyone. If bots get to race to the top that will make the gap that much greater, however I also have not seen something like this and I've been leveling my second character and am at VR11 right now. I'm sure at times as I run a circuit it could look just like a bot because I do the same thing over and over again. Reporting it is harmless if the player is actually playing.

The last time I think I even MIGHT have seen a bot was way back in May(?) of 2014 when there was a funny looking train of identical Templars running around spamming Jabs at every zombie they could find. This phenomena had exactly ZERO detrimental impact on my game.

You know what DID have a negative impact on my game? When ZoS (over)reacted to all the forum whining about "ZOMG BOTS!", they went and NERFED all the mob XP in every public dungeon! Now it's a year later, the XP is STILL nerfed, and here are complainers [Moderator Note: Edited per our rules on Naming and Shamings] attempting to conflate their (probably bogus) concerns about the Champion System with yet another SCARY BOT PROBLEM.

"Once bitten, twice shy" is what I say. I said nothing the first time a bot scare screwed up ESO, but I won't be silent this time. Bots have no effect on me, but some guys want to gimp or roll back the CP I spent hundreds of hours of my life earning? Yeah, THAT affects me.

milesrodneymcneely2_ESO

Emma_Eunjung wrote: »

I spend 5-6 hours per day in-game, and I NEVER see stuff like this. And if I ever did see any so-called "bots', what difference would it make?

Minding your own business has many benefits, I suggest the OP try it for a while and quit worrying about what OTHER PEOPLE are doing. Play your game, and let them play theirs.

As for the mythical "CP gap" (and yeah, I'm not the only one who noticed how you slipped this into a purported Bot Report), you just need to get out there and start grinding mobs like everyone else. You'll find that you gain CP a lot faster if you focus on killing the mobs instead of peeking through the curtains at your neighbors so you can type up "reports" on their activities!

^^^^ Botter.

I'm calling it now.

Xantaria

I see them every day in various farming locations.

Phinix1

QuadroTony wrote: »

AlienDiplomat wrote: »

QuadroTony wrote: »

AlienDiplomat wrote: »

Also, if the mob dies they will sit there attacking nothing until the script finishes.

so its not a bot but macros
undetectable

Not undetectable. Time sequence pattern profiling easily detects this.

if you ever saw marco recorder you must to kow that you can setup any random delay value

I would encourage any gamer not to gain a false sense of security over these macros they are using. Believe me, it IS easily detectable and you WILL be banned.

I won't go to much into the technical details of how the detection algorithms work, but there are MANY variables used to narrow down a "hit." Not the least of which being the fact it is not possible to know when you will crit, when certain effects or passives will proc, and when a mob is going to do a windup vs a regular attack, which alters their positioning and the amount of damage they take by aoe (mostly Templar jab) spam.

The easiest way to detect them right now is they repeatedly attack nothing after combat ends as a catch to these scenarios. That also makes them very obvious to people passing by, who do report them.

But those that do bot, I encourage you to believe macros are undetectable, because I would like all botters to be banned.

Phinix1

Emma_Eunjung wrote: »

...Now it's a year later, the XP is STILL nerfed, and here are complainers ... [Moderator Note: Edited per our rules on Naming and Shamings]

Blah blah blah, don't take my bots away, blah blah blah personal attacks, blah blah blah.

biovitalb16_ESO

What do you mean "back"? They never left. Wanna find some bots, just go to upper Craglorn and watch the hordes of vr1's farming nodes endlessly.

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

QuadroTony

bots in the game since the beginning

but ptice for gold upgrade boosters still the same - 3-5k and 7k for metal

if there is no bots at all the price for boosters for example will be like 10k or more

so the bots is good for game and economy

make life easies and regular players can upgrade their gear for cheap price, not high