Bug in the code (yes a bug) that allows bots to play the game and what is the stance of ZOS about it

altemriel

Yes, I am posting this tread to the bug reports section, because it is clearly an unintended mechanics, aka bug in the code, that allows players to run bots and farm mats with them.

(no this tread is not intended to shaming ZOS, nor to criticize ZOS, so please refrain of writting comments like that, thank you!)


So bot train on many places, farming mats, selling them and harming the economy, allowing the botters to get rich, etc...


Of couse ZOS is aware about them and no, it is not true, ZOS would not care to solve this issue.


But I wanna see an official response from ZOS, what is their plan or roadmap, how to stop bot trains.


Could someone from the admins or devs comment about this?

Thank you in advance.


@ZOS_MattFiror @ZOS_RichLambert @ZOS_Wrobel @ZOS_BrianWheeler @ZOS_GinaBruno @ZOS_KaiSchober @ZOS_JessicaFolsom




for example:

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/374607/some-bot-spots
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/374583/large-group-of-bots-in-rivenspire-silverhoof-valley-pc-eu
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/374397/cannot-report-bot-trains-because-they-move-around
https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/373820/please-remove-the-bots-in-karthdar

Marabornwingrion

Bots are controlled by external software, not by in-game mechanics, so it's not a "bug".

Nestor

BOTs are like Cockroaches, you kill them, then more crawl up out of the drain pipes to run amuck in your house.

1. ZOS needs to take an active role in finding and Banning these accounts, not 3 day suspensions, Bans. And, the inventories and accounts for the bots need to be cleaned out. And, furthermore investigate the Guilds these accounts are a part of and disable the Guild Bank/Store if it can be shown that the guild is all bots. With guilds where the Bot accounts infest, that is trickier, but the Guild Master could be called on to help with the needed actions.
2. Hardware Ban the machines that create these BOT accounts. Make it very difficult for someone to keep making accounts. Sure, there are someways around this, but the average bot wrangler is someone who is too dumb or lazy to get a real job, so they will move on to easier targets. Just like you don't need to lock down your house like Fort Knox to keep people honest.
3. The few hardcore that keep at it and get around the restrictions, see #1

altemriel

Astrid_V wrote: »

Bots are controlled by external software, not by in-game mechanics, so it's not a "bug".

well yes, but the game code should be set in a way, that it would recognize them and ban them. there should be an official system implemented, that would allow an easy recognition of a bot (repetetive identical patterns) and so an easy ban for them

so yes, maybe not a right bug, but a missing feature, so in a sense a bug

altemriel

Nestor wrote: »

BOTs are like Cockroaches, you kill them, then more crawl up out of the drain pipes to run amuck in your house.

1. ZOS needs to take an active role in finding and Banning these accounts, not 3 day suspensions, Bans. And, the inventories and accounts for the bots need to be cleaned out. And, furthermore investigate the Guilds these accounts are a part of and disable the Guild Bank/Store if it can be shown that the guild is all bots. With guilds where the Bot accounts infest, that is trickier, but the Guild Master could be called on to help with the needed actions.
2. Hardware Ban the machines that create these BOT accounts. Make it very difficult for someone to keep making accounts. Sure, there are someways around this, but the average bot wrangler is someone who is too dumb or lazy to get a real job, so they will move on to easier targets. Just like you don't need to lock down your house like Fort Knox to keep people honest.
3. The few hardcore that keep at it and get around the restrictions, see #1

ye this!

ZOS is able to track anything, from movement patterns, to mats farmed, to gold gained by selling it. so it should not be a hard task to create a game feature, which would recognize repetetive identical movement paterns. the harder ZOS would make it for bots to survive, the more they will move somewhere else, leaving the game.

if a bot account would be identified, all the materials and gold earned should be deleted from the account and the account should be permabanned!