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How to spot a bot?
Mephisto939
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I've noticed a character that seems to spend all day in Hollow City harvesting alchemy nodes. It always runs the exact same path, and level 13 for 2 weeks. Now maybe this "player"just takes particular joy in running round in circles collecting reagents, all day,, but I reported to ZOS as a likely bot.
Why did the Dunmer cross the road?
Apparently to get stuck in an eternal load screen!
Apparently to get stuck in an eternal load screen!
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Tryxus✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Report 'em all, and let ZOS sort 'em out"Stand strong, stay true and shelter all."
Tryxus - Guardian of the Green - Warden - PC/EU2 -
Mephisto939✭✭✭✭Will Zos do anything though? Based on the threads I've read, not likely.Why did the Dunmer cross the road?
Apparently to get stuck in an eternal load screen!0 -
TequilaFire✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Lot's of people farm alchemy nodes in hollow city and the spawn points are always the same so the farming route is just a big circle.
While something does need to be done about "pro" bots, be careful whom you accuse please.Edited by TequilaFire on March 25, 2017 12:32PM2 -
Mephisto939✭✭✭✭TequilaFire wrote: »Lot's of people farm alchemy nodes in hollow city and the spawn points are always the same so the farming route is just a big circle.
While something does need to be done about "pro" bots, be careful whom you accuse please.
Every day for hours,, never leveling? This is the only character I've ever reported.Why did the Dunmer cross the road?
Apparently to get stuck in an eternal load screen!1 -
Surragard✭✭✭✭If you think someone is a bot report them. ZoS will investigate before taking action.I don't always drink Skooma, but when I do I go to the Southwall Corner Club. May you walk on warm sands my friends.0 -
Cadbury✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭If you suspect someone is a bot, give them the Voight-Kampff test.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Umc9ezAyJv0 "If a person is truly desirous of something, perhaps being set on fire does not seem so bad."0 -
Iruil_ESO✭✭✭
If he does nothing else with this char (killing mobs, discovering areas, opening chest,...) it's possible.Mephisto939 wrote:Every day for hours,, never leveling? This is the only character I've ever reported.0 -
Betheny✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭Mephisto939 wrote: »How to spot a bot?
PM him, if he replies with "beep beep" then you know you have yourself a genuine bot.
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Mephisto939✭✭✭✭Mephisto939 wrote: »How to spot a bot?
PM him, if he replies with "beep beep" then you know you have yourself a genuine bot.
What if they reply booty booty?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd8MGNjkm0s
Why did the Dunmer cross the road?
Apparently to get stuck in an eternal load screen!0 -
Elsonso✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Mephisto939 wrote: »I've noticed a character that seems to spend all day in Hollow City harvesting alchemy nodes. It always runs the exact same path, and level 13 for 2 weeks. Now maybe this "player"just takes particular joy in running round in circles collecting reagents, all day,, but I reported to ZOS as a likely bot.
There are active players that run circles in Hollow City farming stuff.
The real test of a bot is whether they run to a place where there could be an alchemy node, then run to the next one. An active player will see when there is nothing there and divert to the next node. Running to somewhere that has nothing to farm is a waste of time that a human will recognize. The typical bot can't tell until it actually gets there and there is no harvest interaction, and since time is irrelevant (no player there) they can be inefficient.
The way to test this is to find a node that they frequently farm that is out of the way. Not on a direct path between two other nodes. If they go all the way to where the node should be, turn and head to the next node, then I would report them and let ZOS figure it out.
If they go a little ways towards the node, but turn when they can see nothing is there, or don't even go in that direction, then it is likely a player running a boring pattern.
Since this area is heavily farmed, it should not be too hard to see them running to a place where there is nothing, turning suddenly, and running to the next place, which may or may not have anything.
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RoyalPink06✭✭✭✭✭Most bots have a player name that is just a bunch of random letters, eg. Ccghhc, and the character name will be along the same lines. Usually they are sorcs, and if they are farming animals for example, there will be a few of them grouped together taking turns running the same route as the enemies respawn. Level doesn't really mean anything, I've seen bots of all levels. Report it.
In the cases of rubberbanders, it could be a legit player or a bot grinding experience, gold, or loot. If it's standing there spamming nothing but heavy attacks at the same exact spot for hours, days, or weeks on end, that's a rubberbander. Report it.
In your case, have a good look at the character, the player name, and the character name. If he's wearing crown store items or costumes or recognizable set gear (monster helms, shoulders for example), has a legit sounding name with actual words, opens his crafting bag or maps once in awhile, etc, then he's probably just nicely harvesting nodes. If in doubt, follow him for a bit and take a recording. Report to ZOS and attach video recording. If he's not a bot, no harm will come to him. If he is, then he will be dealt with accordingly.
People think that ZOS doesn't do anything about reported bots, but they really do and the only way for them to continue to do so is for us to always report questionable behaviour.NA PS42 -
Betheny✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭Mephisto939 wrote: »Mephisto939 wrote: »How to spot a bot?
PM him, if he replies with "beep beep" then you know you have yourself a genuine bot.
What if they reply booty booty?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zd8MGNjkm0s
Roll with it - you got an open connection, just beware in case of penetration testing.0 -
theher0not✭✭✭✭✭If you suspect that someone is a botter you should report him. If enough people report that person ZoS will hopefully investigate him themself and if they think he is a botter/hacker they will punish him. If not they will not do anything against him.Edited by theher0not on March 25, 2017 2:45PM0
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Vipstaakki✭✭✭✭✭
✭This does not necessarily work 100% anymore. Some bots have been taught to do small talk.
Ask them something, like what is 1 + 1? If they only give you something senseless in return you know it's a bot that has been taught to small talk.0 -
SirAndy✭✭✭✭✭
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I disagree. Anyone with half an eye can spot bots in this game and there are a LOT of them.TequilaFire wrote: »be careful whom you accuse please.
The more people report them, the better.
Why ZOS does not have active GMs in-game is beyond me.
Just get a few interns, train them for a day and let them run lose with a huge ban hammer.
Edited by SirAndy on March 25, 2017 3:57PM0 -
TequilaFire✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Well I am not a bot and just yesterday was accused of being one as I was farming goats for guts to use for fishing bait as I am going for master angler on a character.
If ZOS didn't want me to farm there for that purpose they would not put them there in the first place.
I am all for ZOS doing the policing, just not the vigilantes.Edited by TequilaFire on March 25, 2017 4:11PM0 -
Surragard✭✭✭✭@TequilaFire So you were contacted by ZoS or another player just sent you a tell? If it was ZoS, I'm assuming you explained what you were doing and I'm curious how it turned out.I don't always drink Skooma, but when I do I go to the Southwall Corner Club. May you walk on warm sands my friends.0
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Elsonso✭✭✭✭✭
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I disagree. Anyone with half an eye can spot bots in this game and there are a LOT of them.TequilaFire wrote: »be careful whom you accuse please.
The more people report them, the better.
Why ZOS does not have active GMs in-game is beyond me.
Just get a few interns, train them for a day and let them run lose with a huge ban hammer.
I agree with @TequilaFire .
Yeah, ZOS needs more manpower, apparently, but reporting people withiut some measure of care just floods the system and makes it more likely thwt the bots will get away with it.
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TequilaFire✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭@TequilaFire So you were contacted by ZoS or another player just sent you a tell? If it was ZoS, I'm assuming you explained what you were doing and I'm curious how it turned out.
No it was another player who ran up to me and told me he was going to report me via text chat.
I was not worried as I know I was doing nothing wrong but it was annoying.
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Gilvoth✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭there are people who like to grind on mobbs and are not social and dont like to talk to people.
maybe you should let zenimax handle it and not try to be a hall monitor.0 -
Prive✭✭✭dwemer_paleologist wrote: »there are people who like to grind on mobbs and are not social and dont like to talk to people.
maybe you should let zenimax handle it and not try to be a hall monitor.
Check this thread and you'll see how zos handles this
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/331259/what-would-you-like-to-be-done-about-the-botsEdited by Prive on March 25, 2017 8:25PM@AlfonsoV [HODOR}
Diamond KK Mag Nightblade, dark elf
*** C Stam Templar, khajit
Alfonso V Mag Templar, high elf
Florence N Mag Templar, high elf
Ke'the Mag DK, dark elf
Gr'ethe StamDK, redguard
Luna L Mag Sorc, high elf
Shark Ira Stam Sorc, redguard
Po Ca Hon Tas. Mag Warden, high elf1 -
LadyLavina✭✭✭✭✭
✭If they follow the same path and make extremely sharp turns without fail along the same continuous spots on that path, they might be a bot.
If they ask questions about fleet operations, ship systems, or weapons, they might be a Cylon.Edited by LadyLavina on March 25, 2017 8:30PMPC - NA @LadyLavina 1800+ CP PvP Tank and PvP Healer2 -
You really think standing in one spot where you can't see a reagent is a flag for a bot? Have you heard of surveys? You can't see someone else's reagents with those. I also will farm for a few hours following a certain path. Harvest map makes a path for you. I get that bots are frustrating (they are ruining my market), but don't go burning people at the stake.Edited by thefixerupper on December 25, 2018 4:22AM1
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It is worth noting that you do need to be careful when reporting those you think are bots. A guildmaster in one of my guilds received a social ban yesterday for being a bot. We do not yet know if it was malicious or not (there has been a bit of a competition over a trader recently, but that isn't in itself proof of anything). The player name for my guildmaster in that case does have a string of letters/numbers, though the character names are usually pretty much 'characters'....still, don't just guess, look for reasons to be certain.
@Alassirana
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TempPlayer✭✭✭✭✭Try to follow them and ninja loot their node. If the toon doesn't react to your behavior, like throwing mudball at you or tell you to eff off or left the game/area, for like 3 times, you are most likely dealing with a bot.
If they do complain, just say sorry and that you are testing if they are bot or not, and return what you ninja loot from them.
If they don't complain, you just get a free guide to all the node on their path.0 -
TheShadowScout✭✭✭✭✭
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...so you really should ninja-loot the next node in line, and drop some mystery meat from thje deshaan public dungeon memeto in its place. If its a bot, it will most likely pick that up, and then, well... then you know and can laugh at it...Mephisto939 wrote: »I've noticed a character that seems to spend all day in Hollow City harvesting alchemy nodes. It always runs the exact same path...
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