Have the bots won?

david271749

Feel free to explain why you voted yes or no below.

Phantax

Yes

I voted yes (hopefully a temp vote) as at this time the bot problem is worse, not better ! Chat is getting spammed more, gold selling emails are more, bots in open world are more obvious. Either zeni just don't know how to fix this or (like warcraft did) they realise that a bots account is a subbed account

Nox_Aeterna

Yes

For now they did , but then again , zen is the one giving the cards , even if the bots are making good use of them.

Harakh

Yes

At the moments yes, yesterday with my twink i saw lots of teleporting bots which move under the ground, just saw heads on the ground

Shiaxi

No

I voted no; they may have won the battle, but the war is not lost yet...

pavelcherepanskyrwb17_ESO

No

I think they haven't. Lately I've stopped seeing as many bots as there were before.

1% lost somewhere! Yes - 46%, No - 53%

Iseke

No

There are no bots at all in the veteran content, so nope they don't win.

Phantax

Yes

Iseke wrote: »

There are no bots at all in the veteran content, so nope they don't win.

Really? I think you need to rethink that comment. There are bots in VR zones and I'm not the only one whose seen/reported them !

Lukati_K

No

I voted no, knowing that it's too early to tell whether the bots have "won", but hoping that, if there is to be a victor, it's to be us/the game.

For what it's worth, I played Asheron's Call back when 3rd party apps just started surfacing for the game to the point where common players would have them, and with them came the UCM's, or unattended combat macros. It was an incredibly divisive subject, and caused a lot of people to leave the game. The macros were basic at first, and easy to spot/report. As the devs found ways to combat them, the UCM crowd found better ways to hide themselves. Those devs lost that battle.

The common theme here is 3rd party apps. I really enjoy the add-ons available for this game, but if they come at the cost of an army of unmitigated bots making starting zones almost unbearable and filling mailboxes with colored drivel, my thought is the same one I had 12 years ago - I can live without them.

That being said, I'm well aware that the way add-ons work for ESO could be entirely different than how they worked for AC, as ESO supports add-ons, and AC never officially did. If I'm incorrect in thinking that the resources made available to/for add-ons are the same ones being abused by bots, I'd like to know.

Elvent

Yes

Yes. Because they're everywhere. Been leveling two new characters recently and everywhere I go I see some bot teleporting by me or speed hacking by me or flying by me... It's bot infested. I even see them underground now and had a couple times trying to run to a jute spawn and all of a sudden I see a head floating on the ground looting the jute and the mob beside it isn't agrooing to the bot.

It's very annoying seeing all these bots everywhere and especially stealing all the nodes it makes them seem so scarce...makes me just want to stop leveling all together.

Most can't even be reported because they move so fast.


The bot problem is worse than it ever has been. I thought it was getting better but that was only because I was in the high level range and in vet zones were bots are non existent.

I don't know much about the things behind these bots but I would have thought a bit program with these speed hacks and flying hacks and under ground hacks could be detected somehow but I guess not otherwise these bots would be banned.

So we can't report them because they're too fast... So what do we do? Just sit back and wait for who knows how long hoping zenimax finds all these bots?

Inb4 "I never see bots or my 100 friends that play with me at all times erryday so you're lying and exaggerating!"

Spiritreaver_ESO

No

Not at all.

As people seem obsessed with 'wiping the bots out now!!!', all they are seeing is bot here, there, and everywhere. That's how obsession works.

Don't get me wrong, bots are a nuisance at best-abhorrence at worse, and they need to be contained as much as possible. But i have no doubt that this stepped up activity on the farmer's part is the equivalent of a hail-mary as they are trying to boost their reserves as much and as fast as possible before ZOS's inevitable counter stroke.

The whole RMT infestation is not going to be resolved overnight. Its going to take time. Are players going to be impacted in the meantime? Of course, crafters in particular. But i have no doubts that ZOS getting their ducks in a row before rolling out sweeping measures.

In the present though, i'm not going to stress and obsess over RMT. This isn't my first MMO rodeo and i know things will get better in time. I rolled a new alt about a week back and as i've been bringing it up i see bots or course and report them as appropriate. Then i go about my business and enjoy myself. Just hit 25, not rushing it up, and honestly for as many bots are out there my leveling thus far has been minimally impacted.

I've seen it worse than this in other games and seen it set back to rights.

TLDR: Its bad, but its not the end of Tamriel. Play the game and do what you can, then let it go and continue your adventures.

fyendiarb16_ESO

No

They may have won a battle, but not the war.

ciannait

Yes

Established players may see fewer of them, but bots are all most new players and lowbies will see when they log in. It's an incredibly jarring experience. MMOs need new blood, and the bots are going to turn people away.

Boneidle

No

Bots are an issue in every game when it starts, not every game can instantly stop them. I think with the fact that there have been a lot of other issues to fix that the bots are so rampant currently cos you have every tom, *** and harry complaining about some part of the game which is broken.

Things will get sorted out and fixed its just going to take time to do, it just seems that because people see bots and crate a new topic every time someone comes to the forum you end up with hundreds of posts making the idea look much worse than it actually is.

I still reckon that you just have to be patient and wait for them to sort the bots out. I just hope when the ban hammer finally comes down on all the bots that those who are paying for items from them as well receive a ban. There shouldn't be any place for people who want to pay for gold or other items cos they can't be bothered to go out and do it themselves.

robert

No

The only effect that bots have on my game play is that they are aesthetically displeasing. Since ZOS got aggressive with boss farming bots, they have no impact on my ability to progress in this game. In fact, if one is considering the economy, the only impact would be from players who buy gold or crafting materials with real money, (definitely ban those guys) and even the impact of this is minimal on my actual game play.

freakasso

No

I voted no.
My highest char so far is level 21 and i already made a few alts ranging from 7-12 so I see a lot of these bots. They walk, run and yes, they also fly... really fast!
They walk around in groups and also alone, killing everything in the way... also little level 1 mudcrabs.... BUT do they really have such a big influence on me? No, they really don't... quite the opposite... they are kind of an in game guide to resource routes, just press shift here and there and you are one step ahead of them AND they kill the annoying mobs standing next to the nodes...

Just keep reporting them, probably best when you do it at times when there is someone from the ESO team who is actively taking care of them...

Good luck to you all and happy hunting!!!

Turelus

No

Not sure how they won, I am still having fun in the game, selling my items in my trade guild at good values, PVP'ing when I want to blood and running group dungeons.

They haven't won any more than other games, there are bots and gold sellers in other games they're just not as visible as they are here. For those claiming they've won and you're leaving the game over them show me exactly where they're ruining your personal gameplay past being visible.
If the complaint is players buying the gold then remember there were people doing that in every other MMO you played as well, what's happening here is nothing new just more in your face than normal.

Kyle_Roberts

No

Only 2 weeks till Wildstar is released and the majority of bots will leave this game to go start rapeing that game, just hold on in there people

Mortelus

Yes the bots won. Did you not see the documentary about it... The Matrix or something it was called.

ShADoW0s

Phantax wrote: »

Iseke wrote: »

There are no bots at all in the veteran content, so nope they don't win.

Really? I think you need to rethink that comment. There are bots in VR zones and I'm not the only one whose seen/reported them !

Where have you seen this? There is no way a bot made it that far, it will require that bot to finish all the single instance quests, which it cant.

Turelus

No

@ShADoW0s there are bots in VR zones.
I would guess they have some VR characters either by leveling themselves or hacked accounts and are partying the teleporting to them to get lower level farming bots into those zones. It's not as common as the starter zones or Coldharbour but it does happen.

AlienSlof

Yes

I've voted yes for now - hoping I will be proved wrong.

Right now though, the bot situation is horrendous. They steal assets that we legitimate players want making it doubly difficult to progress - especially crafting. Sadly, they're just the symptom - if people didn't cheat, there would be no market out there.

I will never understand cheating in games. Why even play a game at all if one is too lazy to actually PLAY it? Why not just watch others play it on youtube or something? I play games to PLAY them, to enjoy my progression in them, to enjoy exploring. I've been playing every day since the 5 day early start and have yet to get a character to veteran level. I'm too busy enjoying the game - or trying to. I love this game, I want to keep on loving it and watching it evolve. I want my ridable guar! Etc, etc!

The bots and spammers are seriously spoiling that for me the moment they affect MY game, either by stealing nodes I want, or by spamming my game mail.

Iseke

No

Turelus wrote: »

@ShADoW0s there are bots in VR zones.
I would guess they have some VR characters either by leveling themselves or hacked accounts and are partying the teleporting to them to get lower level farming bots into those zones. It's not as common as the starter zones or Coldharbour but it does happen.

You cannot teleport to others in VR zones when you have not done the quests yet that are required to get there.

Turelus

No

Iseke wrote: »

Turelus wrote: »

@ShADoW0s there are bots in VR zones.
I would guess they have some VR characters either by leveling themselves or hacked accounts and are partying the teleporting to them to get lower level farming bots into those zones. It's not as common as the starter zones or Coldharbour but it does happen.

You cannot teleport to others in VR zones when you have not done the quests yet that are required to get there.

... *slaps himself for being an idiot*
I stand corrected good sir (or lady), I shall go and make my morning coffee, wake up and pretend I didn't once again look like an idiot on a forums.

Quel_Drathon

No

The amount of bots has been decreased since the launch, which is a sign that they try to do something. In vet content are no bots at all or very few..

Humor

Yes

After logging on to check back on ESO (hoping stuff was a little bit more calm), and then signing onto the forums to see my Inbox, YES in the forums! Have gold spam.

Like seriously...? They're invading the forums now and sending people mail through here? That's just sad...

I vote yes, bot's have most likely won, if they're invading the forums now. Ah well, there's always Wildstar 2 weeks from now.

Thalmar

Yes

Yesterday i got an email stating i got a warning because i used bad language in zone chat, and since the start of the game i used zone chat 2 times and one time was reading "xxxxxx bots". I can easily assume someone reported me for calling bots names, so it is definitely bots have won since they are running freely around, taking nods, flying, underground and frustrated players getting warning because calling them names. It is a big win for bots.

steveb16_ESO46

Yes

They are certainly winning hands down at the moment.

freakasso

No

Thalmar wrote: »

Yesterday i got an email stating i got a warning because i used bad language in zone chat, and since the start of the game i used zone chat 2 times and one time was reading "xxxxxx bots". I can easily assume someone reported me for calling bots names, so it is definitely bots have won since they are running freely around, taking nods, flying, underground and frustrated players getting warning because calling them names. It is a big win for bots.

The bots won because YOU did not manage to use acceptable words to describe your anger...? They did not win.. they're just "loosing it" slower then you...

Sleepydan

No

I haven't given spammers a cent of my real life money. I don't feel tempted to give them my money. They have never impeded my progress.


Even in other games I've been at least tempted to indulge myself. I say that while the bots presence is disappointing, there complete lack of an effect on my gameplay means no, the bots have far from won.

Yakidafi

No

Funny reading a poll like this 6-7 weeks after launch.

edit:
I mean, bound to be negative for life? What game does not have problem with cheaters.