Bots : Karthdar - Grathwood, time to open your eyes.

Apherius

Hi , as you may know these " bots " are farming xp again and again ... some have the crown merchand and also farm gold by selling their stuff , then they sell their account. This is destroying the game ... this is destroying the ingame economy ...

Zenimax it's time to do something , today i have meet 30 bots in this spot ... 1Hours after there was 30 different bots ... and this don't stop , they have a lot of spot ... they have a lot of account ... they alternate between all spot ( maybe for avoid a new " anti bot system " ? I don't know but i doubt your defense against bots work... they probably find a wway to avoid your system ) .. i won't purpose any solution .. i paid for " The elder scrolls online " not " The elder bots online " ... in the past i was happy to try to purpose solution or system to avoid this .. but as i can see i was talking to a wall.
See this after my friend been hacked ( and maybe turned into a Bot account ) ... is horrible, i have insulted 2 innocent player in malabal tor cause i was thinking they were bots ...

Location :



Bots( or maybe futur " nerf dungeon " thread author.) :

ComboBreaker88

Bots are annoying, sure. But they are hardly destroying the game. Everyone is always crying about the game is dying. People were saying that before it even launched. The reason bots are even in the game is that they fill a need that the players obviously cant. If the players wanted to spend hours a day grinding mats, they would. But they don't. So bots and gold farmers do it. Sure shady and crappy. But do you want to spend hours a day of your game time grinding mats? I don't. I'd rather enjoy the game. If ZOS removed the need to grind mats for and gear the bots would vanish over night. But they dont. So the bots fill a need that the player base in large part simply doesn't.

Apherius

ComboBreaker88 wrote: »

Bots are annoying, sure. But they are hardly destroying the game. Everyone is always crying about the game is dying. People were saying that before it even launched. The reason bots are even in the game is that they fill a need that the players obviously cant. If the players wanted to spend hours a day grinding mats, they would. But they don't. So bots and gold farmers do it. Sure shady and crappy. But do you want to spend hours a day of your game time grinding mats? I don't. I'd rather enjoy the game. If ZOS removed the need to grind mats for and gear the bots would vanish over night. But they dont. So the bots fill a need that the player base in large part simply doesn't.

Are you saying me that we should thank them for their hard work ? Don't you understand that if they lose their time doing a maccro it's not because they want to help those who don't want to farm ? Maybe you are ok with these noobax ( i won't call this " players " ) who buy these " cp 660 with X golds and X gold mats " account ... but it's not my case .
if they buy a hundred of account ( 5/9€ per game ) it's for sell them 1 month later with a pile of gold and a bunch of cp ...

ComboBreaker88

Apherius wrote: »

ComboBreaker88 wrote: »

Bots are annoying, sure. But they are hardly destroying the game. Everyone is always crying about the game is dying. People were saying that before it even launched. The reason bots are even in the game is that they fill a need that the players obviously cant. If the players wanted to spend hours a day grinding mats, they would. But they don't. So bots and gold farmers do it. Sure shady and crappy. But do you want to spend hours a day of your game time grinding mats? I don't. I'd rather enjoy the game. If ZOS removed the need to grind mats for and gear the bots would vanish over night. But they dont. So the bots fill a need that the player base in large part simply doesn't.

Are you saying me that we should thank them for their hard work ? Don't you understand that if they lose their time doing a maccro it's not because they want to help those who don't want to farm ?

if they buy a hundred of account ( 5/9€ per game ) it's for sell them 1 month later with a pile of gold and a bunch of cp ...

Again, if players wouldn't buy these accounts they wouldn't be doing it. If players didn't want/need them they wouldn't exist. I'm not saying there are there out of some altruistic desire to help the players (neither is ZOS by the way.) They are there to make money just the same way ZOS is. ZeniMax clearly understands the need for them or they would have done something about them already. If they had even 1 Gamemaster regularly in the game we would see a fraction of the botting we do now. But ZOS probably realizes the players would rather actually play the game than mindlessly grind mats and toons. And they don't want to flat out sell the stuff in the cash shop, because that would be pay to win. So they allow these bots to do their thing and it serves a need the community has. Regardless of whether or not a portion of the community generates some disproportionate superimposed sense of morality on the matter, the bots are there because 1) the players do actually benefit from them. 2) ZOS benefits from them indirectly -If either of these were not true they would have been taken care of by now. So while I think botting is lame, I would rather someone else do it and benefit from it than I personally have to go grind scraps and gear or buy them for ridiculous prices in traders. They keep prices in the economy down and prevent Guild Masters from regulatin the market to their own benefit.

-Simply put, there are more reasons for bots to be in the game than for them not to be.

While I personally rather enjoy questing, dungeons, Trials and PvP and would probably just quit if I had to waste my limited game time grinding for gear and mats these bots provide in traders.

Malic

Youre kidding right? So where were you after beta when every dungeon boss in game was being camped by bots?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IqHEjJlyf8

Now youre outraged? The current problem is inconsequential to what we had to deal with.

Youre welcome.

Apherius

By doing nothing about these bots ... they are allowing the P2W ... it's disgusting. i still don't understand why you can be ok with that , I understand your point of view but this just make me fell like one day or an other they will decide to make teso P2W simply because these bots seems to make more money than them.

ComboBreaker88

Apherius wrote: »

By doing nothing about these bots ... they are allowing the P2W ... it's disgusting. i still don't understand why you can be ok with that , I understand your point of view but this just make me fell like one day or an other they will decide to make teso P2W simply because these bots seems to make more money than them.

ESO is pulling in cash hand over fist. These bots don't hold a candle to the gamble boxes. The game isn't dying. The loudest player base just has no real concept of business. If they game was dying, they would shut down the servers. And the are planning years ahead for dlc. So the game is doing fine. Accept it and move on. If other players who are not actively harassing you can ruin your experience, that your own fault.

agingerinohio

I have reported bots in that exact location. (NA) I first noticed them when I was grabbing a skyshard. One of the bots was malfunctioning and walking repeatedly into a tree and crouching every now and then.
Recently I googled some things and found that these bot runners actually have a forum site telling you how to install the program, get your bots running and even saw people complaining that their bots were not running properly. It disgusted me.
I love this game and hate to see people so blatantly in your face cheating the economy/game with the infinite amount of druegh wax they get from this and not to mention gold they get to sell. It not only makes it more difficult for actual live players to obtain resources but also just looks bad for the games image to new players. I'm in a guild that helps new players adjust to the game and some have expressed they feel that how are they to "catch up" if all of the resource areas where they can obtain enough mats to make new gear is already being farmed to heck and back by these bots. Some of them are even in starter quest areas and are VERY disruptive to said quest. I've also noticed that if I'm ever around areas where these large bot groups are, my ping skyrockets and the game becomes very laggy. Something has to be done for the sake of the game and it's community.

Megabear

I wonder if ZOS is probiotic, i mean probots.

SirAndy

agingerinohio wrote: »

Something has to be done for the sake of the game and it's community.

Shardan4968

They hacked your friend? So they can hack other players including me? I'm scared right now and I will remember it before wasting my money on the crowns, If my account can be hacked because ZOS is doing nothing. I reported in game bots farming dolmen, but nothing happened. I still see bots. And I think saying that ZOS should make farming easier to get rid of bots is one of the most idiotic things I saw on this forum. If you see expensive dress in shop, do you think that thievery is moral thing because some people want to enjoy their life instead of farming money in their jobs? Make everything free and legalise all drugs to get rid of thiefs and drug dealers! Perfect world! Hear yourself. It's an MMO and grinding is part of this genre and everyone should play as rules say or GTFO. Is there anything like IP ban? And I don't thing that ZOS is ok with people who are making business on their game by selling accounts.

Krayzie

Apherius wrote: »

By doing nothing about these bots ... they are allowing the P2W ... it's disgusting. i still don't understand why you can be ok with that , I understand your point of view but this just make me fell like one day or an other they will decide to make teso P2W simply because these bots seems to make more money than them.

Zenimax allows a lot more terrible things to happen on the daily basis.

Krayzie

Shardan4968 wrote: »

They hacked your friend? So they can hack other players including me? I'm scared right now and I will remember it before wasting my money on the crowns, If my account can be hacked because ZOS is doing nothing. I reported in game bots farming dolmen, but nothing happened. I still see bots. And I think saying that ZOS should make farming easier to get rid of bots is one of the most idiotic things I saw on this forum. If you see expensive dress in shop, do you think that thievery is moral thing because some people want to enjoy their life instead of farming money in their jobs? Make everything free and legalise all drugs to get rid of thiefs and drug dealers! Perfect world! Hear yourself. It's an MMO and grinding is part of this genre and everyone should play as rules say or GTFO. Is there anything like IP ban? And I don't thing that ZOS is ok with people who are making business on their game by selling accounts.

Wow what a extreme post, I agree, bots being allowed in a game with nothing being done about it?

LEGALIZE ALL DRUGS

SMOKE.

Balsagna

What in the last 3 years makes you think they care about bots anywhere? I'm honestly curious.

They aren't interested.

Elsonso

It's against the Terms of Service to use the software that they are using. If ZOS isn't going to enforce it, they need to remove that section from the ToS so that we can all install and run bot software. I know the botters who sell gold, materials, and accounts don't want that, because anyone would be able to do what they do, but it is better for the players and better for ZOS.

Until then, they need to continue to ban them, and be more timely about it.

Cpt_Teemo

Apherius wrote: »

By doing nothing about these bots ... they are allowing the P2W ... it's disgusting. i still don't understand why you can be ok with that , I understand your point of view but this just make me fell like one day or an other they will decide to make teso P2W simply because these bots seems to make more money than them.

Exactly, they're condoning the very thing that they're against on the Crown Store, yet they have it in game for the past 3 years. Might as well just make everything on the crown shop BoE now tbh.

geonsocal

maybe somehow they can refocus our absolutely magnificent forum moderators towards doing a little game master work on the different platforms...

I'm much less concerned with necro threads than I am with bots, cheaters and exploiters...

seems like assigning 2 game masters per platform/server would solve a lot of this crap...

heck, they could even assign it as overtime for some of the folks at zos...i'm sure there are more than a few employees that would be willing to participate for a short period of time...

clean up what's going on now, and, every few weeks or so have the game masters out and about in tamriel...

starkerealm

Apherius wrote: »

... is horrible, i have insulted 2 innocent player in malabal tor cause i was thinking they were bots ...

Well, then, here's a thought: don't insult other players.

I understand frustration. I understand the situation sucks. I'm not any happier about the bots than you are. But, yelling at them, or calling them names won't achieve anything. As is, the bots are automated. So no one is there to watch their chat boxes anyway. So yelling at them doesn't actually do anything. Flinging insults around can't achieve anything, except accidentally yelling at legit players.

starkerealm

geonsocal wrote: »

maybe somehow they can refocus our absolutely magnificent forum moderators towards doing a little game master work on the different platforms...

I'm much less concerned with necro threads than I am with bots, cheaters and exploiters...

seems like assigning 2 game masters per platform/server would solve a lot of this crap...

heck, they could even assign it as overtime for some of the folks at zos...i'm sure there are more than a few employees that would be willing to participate for a short period of time...

clean up what's going on now, and, every few weeks or so have the game masters out and about in tamriel...

Honestly, I legitimately wonder why they can't cough up for one persistent GM per server. Wouldn't even need to be 24h, one person, eight hours a day. Following, up these bot reports. And other issues that actually warranted a GM's intervention.

ComboBreaker88

I've had people claim that I was botting because I was heavy attacking a world boss. Apparently taking a phone call while playing and not doing a full rotation of skills makes you a bot. Hahaha

karrie7

PC EU this is still going on after all these months..unbelievable..

WhoSlappedThePie

I really don't understand why they are not doing this ^^ it just takes a couple of game masters to walk around and look at the bots, with their randomly generated names, and get rid...

zaria

Malic wrote: »

Youre kidding right? So where were you after beta when every dungeon boss in game was being camped by bots?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IqHEjJlyf8

Now youre outraged? The current problem is inconsequential to what we had to deal with.

Youre welcome.

This, to me it looks like the current generation of bots are player run, characters with real names, all sort of levels.
Its not efficient leveling but that does not matter as its afk leveling.
Now if you was an goldseller wanting to power level an group of bots there you go?
Skyreach as everybody else and nobody would care as its instanced.

starkerealm

zaria wrote: »

Malic wrote: »

Youre kidding right? So where were you after beta when every dungeon boss in game was being camped by bots?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IqHEjJlyf8

Now youre outraged? The current problem is inconsequential to what we had to deal with.

Youre welcome.

This, to me it looks like the current generation of bots are player run, characters with real names, all sort of levels.
Its not efficient leveling but that does not matter as its afk leveling.
Now if you was an goldseller wanting to power level an group of bots there you go?
Skyreach as everybody else and nobody would care as its instanced.

That's the major theory kicking around. Goldsellers do get picked up and snuff. Player run bots seem to have a better lifespan.

Caligamy_ESO

I've given up on reporting bots, the only response you will ever get from Zenimax is if you intentionally name and shame in your post and THEN they will say they are going to investigate it. But guess what, nothing at all ever happens and it continues.

Since One Tamriel this has been going on anywhere in the game where leather can be easily farmed from, mudcrabs, skeevers, senches, harpies, bears, wolves, dreugh, zombies, clanfears, ...you get the point. At this point ZoS is actually helping them make money faster by nerfing sets and making us change gear every 3-4 weeks driving up the prices of Rubedo Leather and Dreugh Wax. Yesterday I had to laugh as I was showing a new player where the actual main quest was at and there was a sorcerer bot train running through the middle of town in Auridon to use a merchant. He noticed it, I noticed it, the mudcrabs on the beach noticed it, and Zenimax didn't have an inkling of a clue.

Whoever is supposed to be in charge of enforcing these rules, needs to "get a tap on the shoulder" and shown where the front door is.

Malic

zaria wrote: »

Malic wrote: »

Youre kidding right? So where were you after beta when every dungeon boss in game was being camped by bots?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IqHEjJlyf8

Now youre outraged? The current problem is inconsequential to what we had to deal with.

Youre welcome.

This, to me it looks like the current generation of bots are player run, characters with real names, all sort of levels.
Its not efficient leveling but that does not matter as its afk leveling.
Now if you was an goldseller wanting to power level an group of bots there you go?
Skyreach as everybody else and nobody would care as its instanced.

I ate an entire meat lovers pizza 3 days ago, ive only had 8 grapes since.

Elsonso

starkerealm wrote: »

geonsocal wrote: »

maybe somehow they can refocus our absolutely magnificent forum moderators towards doing a little game master work on the different platforms...

I'm much less concerned with necro threads than I am with bots, cheaters and exploiters...

seems like assigning 2 game masters per platform/server would solve a lot of this crap...

heck, they could even assign it as overtime for some of the folks at zos...i'm sure there are more than a few employees that would be willing to participate for a short period of time...

clean up what's going on now, and, every few weeks or so have the game masters out and about in tamriel...

Honestly, I legitimately wonder why they can't cough up for one persistent GM per server. Wouldn't even need to be 24h, one person, eight hours a day. Following, up these bot reports. And other issues that actually warranted a GM's intervention.

I have pondered that, as well. Six people who do nothing else but play ESO every day for 8 hours looking for and handling bots and cheaters. It came to me that this would be a *** job. They would have to find some interns who will work for Ramen to do it for a few months before heading back to college. The Ramen being a shiny to distract from the actual work, of course.

In any case, I think the bot problem is much larger than we think it is. I think the sheer scope of the problem has ZOS asking "what is so bad about bots, anyway?"

zaria wrote: »

This, to me it looks like the current generation of bots are player run, characters with real names, all sort of levels. Its not efficient leveling but that does not matter as its afk leveling.

My thought is that we are seeing "zombies". Dead accounts and characters that have been brought back to life as bots. Whether the accounts are hacked, or simply sold by players not interested in playing the game any more, I cannot say. Botters who do this can gain some "reasonable doubt" as to whether it is a bot or a player.

zaria

lordrichter wrote: »

zaria wrote: »

This, to me it looks like the current generation of bots are player run, characters with real names, all sort of levels. Its not efficient leveling but that does not matter as its afk leveling.

My thought is that we are seeing "zombies". Dead accounts and characters that have been brought back to life as bots. Whether the accounts are hacked, or simply sold by players not interested in playing the game any more, I cannot say. Botters who do this can gain some "reasonable doubt" as to whether it is a bot or a player.

Yes but it does not match gold seller behavior. Goldsellers want to maximize profit.
More like noobs with cheat engine and some downloaded scripts.
Not many enemies, npc rather than animals dropping hide. not very synchronized and only 8-10 bots.

Now hacked and sold accounts might explain some of the huge caches of expensive materials being sold of cheap.
It would not show up as created as its old.

Elsonso

zaria wrote: »

lordrichter wrote: »

zaria wrote: »

This, to me it looks like the current generation of bots are player run, characters with real names, all sort of levels. Its not efficient leveling but that does not matter as its afk leveling.

My thought is that we are seeing "zombies". Dead accounts and characters that have been brought back to life as bots. Whether the accounts are hacked, or simply sold by players not interested in playing the game any more, I cannot say. Botters who do this can gain some "reasonable doubt" as to whether it is a bot or a player.

Yes but it does not match gold seller behavior. Goldsellers want to maximize profit.
More like noobs with cheat engine and some downloaded scripts.
Not many enemies, npc rather than animals dropping hide. not very synchronized and only 8-10 bots.

Now hacked and sold accounts might explain some of the huge caches of expensive materials being sold of cheap.
It would not show up as created as its old.

Gold sellers need accounts to play. If they can get used account cheap, I would not think they would be picky. While we could be seeing a few players running script programs, they really aren't any different than gold sellers. They just are not profiting with cash.

Most of the bots that I see have a farming focus. They stop to offload loot. Pure XP farming would simply destroy the bulk of ghe loot, not run off and sell/store it. Stopping for minutes to teleport to Ebonheart, run to the vendor, sell the loot, then wayshrine back,

Phinix1

I always find it amusing how quickly brainwashed consumers are these days to justify sleazy practices that used to spark outrage and real consequences with "it's just good business."

In a world empty of meaning and freedom where everyone is a slave to some monopoly, the excuse "it's good for business" is like a modern form of Stockholm Syndrome.

People feel compelled to defend bad business because bad business controls them.

But I digress. ZOS should hire 1 or 2 GM's.

@ZOS_GinaBruno @ZOS_JessicaFolsom any word on why you guys have been ignoring the bot situation for the past 6 months? I know personally whole guilds that have been reporting the huge number in Shadowfen since March and they still remain.

Is it true you have embraced them as a business model as some here suggest?

VvardeFellow

I don't give much thought a bot it. I just play. It's sad, it's wrong, but it is. Historically, no one has ever as a company, defeated bots or cheating totally.