Bots in Grahtwood are a Problem

Mrs_Malaka

@ZOS_GinaBruno, @ZOS_JessicaFolsom, and any other ZOS employee who may be of assistance:
On the Grahtwood coastline, just south of Gil-Var-Delle, there are constant streams of bots farming the mudcrabs here.
I've been here multiple times, throughout the day and night (real world time) and seem to always encounter botters with their platoons running around and destroying everything.
I used to be able to farm here. I can't anymore because it's overrun by botters. I am sure other decent farmers feel the same way.
I took screenshots of them (with and without their account names) but I am just going to post the ones that won't get this thread destroyed for name&shame abuse.
Please do something about this, as I am not the only person to have noticed this and logged a complaint.
Thanks.
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PaigeEvenstar

these bots are driving me absolutly nuts ! ive reported and reported but i feel like nothing is being done about these particular bots. I wanted to go kill some crabs myself and its just annoying that my favourite spot to just relax and kill a bit easy stuff is being botted like mad.

Please fix this ZOS.

Insandros

PaigeEvenstar wrote: »

these bots are driving me absolutly nuts ! ive reported and reported but i feel like nothing is being done about these particular bots. I wanted to go kill some crabs myself and its just annoying that my favourite spot to just relax and kill a bit easy stuff is being botted like mad.

Please fix this ZOS.

Change zone man, none of those in Stonefalls :P (Sarcasm)

Turelus

Nothing new especially with this zone/area.

I have reported bots countless time but still nothing. Whilst I love ESO and ZOS this is their one major failing.

They need to streamline their systems so we get something closer to the following.

1. Player has simple "Report Bot" tool.
2. Report lands directly with a GM/Security member who can deal with it (not customer support).
3. GM addresses the issue within 24 hours.
4. Security team follows up with checking logs on bots sales/transactions and also punishes gold buyers/sellers.

Jamascus

They're not bots, they're just really good at staying on crown and are practicing for PVP because mudcrabs have CC immunity...

idk

Bots are in many zones. I think it is a low priority. Send a couple videos of a group that were clearly bots. In the end of both videos they disappear, all at the same time while moving and at the same place each time.

2 weeks later bots are still there following the same path.

Reverb

Yes, bots in Grahtwood are a problem. Also bots in Wrothgar, bots in Reapers, and bots in Rivenspire. Probably other places as well, but those are the places I see most. Zeni used to have a fantastic bot-squashing response team. Now it's not worth the effort to report. I think their response to bot reports is "I don't understand, what does any of this have to do with Morrowind? Or the crown store?"

ScytheNL

How do you tell if they're bots?

Mrs_Malaka

Reverb wrote: »

Yes, bots in Grahtwood are a problem. Also bots in Wrothgar, bots in Reapers, and bots in Rivenspire. Probably other places as well, but those are the places I see most. Zeni used to have a fantastic bot-squashing response team. Now it's not worth the effort to report. I think their response to bot reports is "I don't understand, what does any of this have to do with Morrowind? Or the crown store?"

Sadly, I think your response is spot-on

Nestor

ScytheNL wrote: »

How do you tell if they're bots?

Watch them, they repeat the same exact pattern, turn in the same places, harvest nodes that are there or not there, run around with weapons readied. Also, there is usually more than 1 or 2 following in lock step.

It is really easy to spot a bot. Even a dedicated farmer who follows a path does something different as they go along.

Lusty

I get the feeling ZOS really doesn't care about bots, shame.

Proteus_San

I have some of their char name here at least : https://youtu.be/akG587eNm3A

They're farming just south of Karthdar (north east) of Grathwood..... It's insane, they're like 10 at the same time

Loralai_907

Thanks for posting the video. If this is PC/NA, I can tell you that they are not the same ones I reported a few weeks ago. Which could be good news. New accounts doing it instead of the same ones may indicate something was done, or they sold those accounts and are working on new ones. I hadn't gone back to check since if I did, and the same names were still there, I would just get really mad at ZOS.

Megabear

I see bots every time I'm doing quests or exploring. Only time I don't see them is when I'm doing something instanced or in town.

Jamascus

There are infinitely more important things for the devs to worry about than bots.

ZOS_RichLambert

We do actively investigate any reports of bots. The best way to get them actioned is to report them in game.

Iselin

ZOS_RichLambert wrote: »

We do actively investigate any reports of bots. The best way to get them actioned is to report them in game.

They are very tough to report due to their constant movement. Especially the groups of 6 or more sorcs all using 2 pets. It's hard to even target them to get a name, much less 6 names.

The botting spots however are always the same. It would be one heck of a lot more effective if we had an in-game reporting tool for a botting location.

Azuramoonstar

bots exist in all mmo, they are hard to fight. More often then not is they are a part of rmt, its easyier to bot in f2p/b2p mmo as they can just make new characters easy. And new accounts easy. its a never ending battle. Ban1, 5 show up.

SoLooney

Dont just ban their accounts, ban their consoles too, dont know if that would do anything

qsnoopyjr

Iselin wrote: »

ZOS_RichLambert wrote: »

We do actively investigate any reports of bots. The best way to get them actioned is to report them in game.

They are very tough to report due to their constant movement. Especially the groups of 6 or more sorcs all using 2 pets. It's hard to even target them to get a name, much less 6 names.

The botting spots however are always the same. It would be one heck of a lot more effective if we had an in-game reporting tool for a botting location.

These are world class coders, developers, programmers, that work for ESO.
ESO is the best of the best MMORPG's out there right now and only the best of the best work for them.

You only need to name 1 person within the bot group my friend. These investigators that work for ESO are extremely smart and will notice the other bots and handle them appropriately.

qsnoopyjr

SoLooney wrote: »

Dont just ban their accounts, ban their consoles too, dont know if that would do anything

Yes, I'm sure ESO has rights to ban these guys from their xbox one or ps4.... or even their PC.
I agree, ban them from their console.

Better yet ,track their IP address. Notify their internet provider, ban their internet.

Bravk

The reporting system in xbox is very tedious, I have reported bots before and you have to enter each name tag individually. But because of the way those tags are made like for example (hhjjkklbgd) if you have to report a whole group you will spend a lot of time writing the report instead of actually playing the game. I also have video of bot's outside Sentinel 2 days ago in xbox, there should be a one button click report over character for cheaters and ofenders. Also mark them as under investigation, and for false reports punish the reporting person. Video how ever is difficult to argue with. But where can anyone send it?

Reverb

ZOS_RichLambert wrote: »

We do actively investigate any reports of bots. The best way to get them actioned is to report them in game.

I appreciate that bots are looked into. Do you guys actually use the in game reporting function? I can't imagine that you would sincerely say that it's the best way to do anything if you actually had to use it for reporting your own issues.

chess1ukb16_ESO

ZOS_RichLambert wrote: »

We do actively investigate any reports of bots. The best way to get them actioned is to report them in game.

The reporting tool is pretty terrible to be honest and turnaround of action is always a disappointment

Jake1576

ZOS_RichLambert wrote: »

We do actively investigate any reports of bots. The best way to get them actioned is to report them in game.

These bots i recorded have been on ps4 north America server at betnikh carved hills for months and are still there. i'm surprised nothing has been done about them yet. i've reported them alot already so has other people. after nothing being done about it it gets tiresome to keep trying to get them removed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy16-6oBVxs

Malic

I mean I feel you, bots suck but were any of you fruitcakes around right after beta? We had 30-40 bots in dungeons camping bosses, if you got a tap and completed the dungeon you were lucky. Not to mention the bots that would resource spawn.

It was really bad. PC has gotten a lot better you see them still but not nearly as much. Tough break on console, hang in there.

Slick_007

i sent in my report with all the names i captured in grahtwood the other day. other than that, just take all their kills. create an anti bot team and take all their kills and loot. you'll get xp/cash/items, and they wont. 2 for 1.

LordSkyKnight

During the first couple months of the game, you used to have active GMs in the zones that would announce over chat that they were hunting bot trains to take them out immediately. I miss those days. Now you report bots and it seems nothing happens. The same trains in the same spots. I guess they can't afford to pay people to go after them like the old days. You would think with the sale of all those gambling boxes that they would have a little extra money to pay for some extra GM staff.

central_scrutinizer

qsnoopyjr wrote: »

SoLooney wrote: »

Dont just ban their accounts, ban their consoles too, dont know if that would do anything

Yes, I'm sure ESO has rights to ban these guys from their xbox one or ps4.... or even their PC.
I agree, ban them from their console.

Better yet ,track their IP address. Notify their internet provider, ban their internet.

I doubt that most ISP's would care at all. Before my kids moved out I was constantly getting emails from my ISP about piracy, the emails informed me that there were complaints, and that they did not and will not give out my info.

I can't see them caring about somebody cheating in a game, at all.

And I am in a developed western country. Foreign ISP's probably care even less.

Banning MAC addresses and console accounts is probably the most that ZEN could possibly do.

And it's what they'd do if they were serious about keeping bots out, because it's probably the ONLY thing that would even slow the botters down.

red_emu

SoLooney wrote: »

Dont just ban their accounts, ban their consoles too, dont know if that would do anything

Or...or...make their consoles explode! That will teach them to stop lining the pockets of those silly gold and XP farming websites.

In all fairness. I am yet to come across bots.

Gargath

Good thing is they usually don't farm nodes and don't open treasure chests