Bots, bots, and more bots!

Phinix1 · July 2015

I am confused. I thought ZOS spent months developing anti-bot features.

Were they just busy with other more profitable games? Because the anti bot tech doesn't seem to work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A30h-wUlfkM

dlepi24 · July 2015

Eh, I'm fine with 3 lol. It's nothing like it used to be.

Wolfshead · July 2015

Idea have never hit you that maybe the are new bots aand beside this 1st thing i have hear about bots in months so i would be so worry i think the will go away soon as long as you have report for key here is send in report about bots so the can fix right away.

Savitar · July 2015

That really doesn't look like botting behavior to me. Looks alot more like a multiboxer. Which isn't against the TOS, super boring though and sad that someone would feel the need to be a one man raid team.

Phinix1 · July 2015

Savitar wrote: »

That really doesn't look like botting behavior to me. Looks alot more like a multiboxer. Which isn't against the TOS, super boring though and sad that someone would feel the need to be a one man raid team.

Follow them for 5 minutes, they are still there. They are definitely bots.

And they are hardly the only three. I reported another group yesterday.

Coatmagic · July 2015

With this game being buy to play, if some idjit wants to run X accounts *shrug* ~ it's money in the mans pocket that wouldn't otherwise be there. Good luck with them giving a flying rats backside.

Emma_Overload · July 2015

Savitar wrote: »

That really doesn't look like botting behavior to me. Looks alot more like a multiboxer. Which isn't against the TOS, super boring though and sad that someone would feel the need to be a one man raid team.

Yeah, why would anyone do that, especially when the LFG tool works so well?

Oh, wait...

Sharee · July 2015

Savitar wrote: »

That really doesn't look like botting behavior to me. Looks alot more like a multiboxer. Which isn't against the TOS, super boring though and sad that someone would feel the need to be a one man raid team.

Actually that did look like botting behavior. Run in a straight line to a place with no mobs(because they have been killed recently), then turn around and run in a straight line again. That is what bots do, they run to mob spawn points regardless whether the mobs are there at the moment or not. A live player would have seen the mobs are not up and would not run all the way to their spawnpoint just to turn around again.

Rune_Relic · July 2015

Gated valuable gear behind hard content.
More power = easier gated content
More gated gear sales = Max Profit

Enjoy. Once word gets out and spread, I am sure a spate will become an epidemic.
WHAT they are doing is not as important as WHY they are doing it.
Remove the reason and you remove the problem without any new code.

Wait for trial gear farming to start after the XP CP farming.
Another reason for dynamic mobs.

Artfuldodger · July 2015

Regardless of what ZOS may put in place to stop it, hackers will always find a new way to exploit a game.

Deadfinger6 · July 2015

I have no idea what this is about ! Came to thread expecting Ass parade, leaving disappointed.

Hypertionb14_ESO · July 2015

Deadfinger6 wrote: »

I have no idea what this is about ! Came to thread expecting Ass parade, leaving disappointed.

drop them pants, shake them bots.

GreySix · July 2015

Until I spot subterranean, teleporting, and flying bots again ...

... I'm not too concerned.

GreySix · July 2015

The bad old days:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q9NbAm6Ms4

demendred · July 2015

Sorry you guys gotta deal with that crap again.

phairdon · July 2015

Remembers the 'bad ole days' well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEuXVPgZZ28

Gamertaglemieux · July 2015

What is the point of bots? Why is it a big deal?

Xendyn · July 2015

Well in the beginning, it was Gold Farmers getting stuff to sell on their websites and spamming zone chat to sell gold and items to players.
It was very bad for the game, economy and a huge annoyance for the players.

These days, I'm thinking it's more player bots to farm CPs.
The player hacks are getting ridiculous. ZOS needs to get off the stick here.

GreySix · July 2015

Gamertaglemieux wrote: »

What is the point of bots? Why is it a big deal?

View the video I posted in its entirety. About a year ago, you couldn't harvest nodes, because subterranean bots were there to take a resource before you could swing pick or ax. Transporting bots would appear at a node you were heading toward, like something out of Star Trek, and take it from you.

Then there were the crowds of similarly-dressed bots that would roam dungeons, killing a boss just as soon as it spawned, and your character was lucky to get in a single hit.

Finally, they flood the game with gold, screwing the economy.

... but other than that, really nothing wrong with them.

Zorrashi · July 2015

Gamertaglemieux wrote: »

What is the point of bots? Why is it a big deal?

Bots are essentially either hoarders (of either resources or gold) or 'cheap' levelers because some people may actually be willing to buy a leveled character for real cash. The latter case can be considered cheating in addition to being a big risk to whomever bought the character (they usually give credit card info...).
But the former case can easily cause problems if the bot population is not controlled--inflation and a tanked economy are the usual results. But they can also impede on the player's ability to finish quests and enjoy the game by doing something like killing the boss the instant it spawns.

Psychobunni · July 2015

AlienDiplomat wrote: »

I am confused. I thought ZOS spent months developing anti-bot features.

Were they just busy with other more profitable games? Because the anti bot tech doesn't seem to work.

While I think it's good that are you are "all over it" so to speak, my limited knowledge of coding would lead me to believe that the anti-bot features previously integrated would eventually have a hole found and/or anything new added to the game since that time may have provided said hole without direct intention.

I know you are frustrated because you reported and it seems to keep happening and even when reported the phone answerer at ZOS called in sick, but wording.... I guess.

Edit: most of the time I too am frustrated with ZOS

Elsonso · July 2015

Savitar wrote: »

That really doesn't look like botting behavior to me. Looks alot more like a multiboxer. Which isn't against the TOS, super boring though and sad that someone would feel the need to be a one man raid team.

Botting is when no player is there controlling the movement. It does not matter if multiboxing is also being used so that two or more characters are slaved to one master. If that master is a bot, and no player is around to drive it, it is botting.

This video at the top is classic bot for the very reason that @Sharee described. It is likely they will always go to the same spot, whether there is a monster there or not, and make the same stops in a loop, following the same path.

The difference between a human doing that and a bot doing that is that the human, no matter how much they try, will always do it differently each time. The current bot technology will do it with computer precision, no matter how much they try to do otherwise.

Regarding multiboxing... Given the recent change in stance on keyboard macros, where they have shut down the use of keyboard macros even for chat emotes, I would find it hard to believe that they have not also changed their stance on multiboxing.

Tolmos · July 2015

Gamertaglemieux wrote: »

What is the point of bots? Why is it a big deal?

Well, for one thing: Champion points weren't designed to be farmed by botters. Those bots will farm CP day and night, tirelessly, for weeks/months until they are far past where any normal player (even hardcore players) could hope to be.

Then they will get on forums and tell everyone CP is perfectly fine / that anyone who complains about not having as much CP as them and getting killed in PvP is entitled and should work just as hard as them. =D

Emma_Overload · July 2015

Yeah, I remember the "bad old days" of bots... that was back when the mobs and bosses in delves actually dropped GOOD XP AND LOOT. Now, thanks to all the whiners, the XP and loot in delves and pub dungeons got NERFED, and even after the upcoming update, will STILL SUCK.

I love how the usual suspects keep starting threads like this, without ever mentioning the crappy, pointless things ZoS has done to "deal" with bots:

1) Nerfed XP and loot as mentioned above.

2) Shut down APIs, making add-ons lackluster.

3) Fail to include standard MMO commands like "/follow".

If ZoS can figure out a way to ban bots without screwing up ESO even more than they already have, then GREAT. But if they can't... then it's just not worth it. The nerfs suck way worse than the bots ever did.

[Deleted User] · July 2015

The user and all related content has been deleted.

QuadroTony · July 2015

lordrichter wrote: »

Savitar wrote: »

That really doesn't look like botting behavior to me. Looks alot more like a multiboxer. Which isn't against the TOS, super boring though and sad that someone would feel the need to be a one man raid team.

Botting is when no player is there controlling the movement. It does not matter if multiboxing is also being used so that two or more characters are slaved to one master. If that master is a bot, and no player is around to drive it, it is botting.

This video at the top is classic bot for the very reason that @Sharee described. It is likely they will always go to the same spot, whether there is a monster there or not, and make the same stops in a loop, following the same path.

The difference between a human doing that and a bot doing that is that the human, no matter how much they try, will always do it differently each time. The current bot technology will do it with computer precision, no matter how much they try to do otherwise.

Regarding multiboxing... Given the recent change in stance on keyboard macros, where they have shut down the use of keyboard macros even for chat emotes, I would find it hard to believe that they have not also changed their stance on multiboxing.

you wrong

multiboxing is allowed

developers told it long ago few times

mrskinskull · July 2015

AlienDiplomat wrote: »

Savitar wrote: »

That really doesn't look like botting behavior to me. Looks alot more like a multiboxer. Which isn't against the TOS, super boring though and sad that someone would feel the need to be a one man raid team.

Follow them for 5 minutes, they are still there. They are definitely bots.

And they are hardly the only three. I reported another group yesterday.

Thanks. Just having posts like this makes bot runners know that they are being watched. I will report a botter in a heartbeat.

RedTalon · July 2015

If its a mmo there will always be bots of some kind or another on pc versions never going to see a game that doesn't have them on pc but it is a lot less then it use to be, remember we use to have naked bots running at neck break speeds through all zones and all cities 24/7

And don't forget the flying ones

Moonshadow66 · July 2015

Deadfinger6 wrote: »

I have no idea what this is about ! Came to thread expecting Ass parade, leaving disappointed.

You should have been here during beta, ass parades all over the place, especially in the end^^

Sacadon · July 2015

Coatmagic wrote: »

With this game being buy to play, if some idjit wants to run X accounts *shrug* ~ it's money in the mans pocket that wouldn't otherwise be there. Good luck with them giving a flying rats backside.

Am I seeing a Bobby Singer reference?

Sacadon · July 2015

QuadroTony wrote: »

lordrichter wrote: »

Savitar wrote: »

That really doesn't look like botting behavior to me. Looks alot more like a multiboxer. Which isn't against the TOS, super boring though and sad that someone would feel the need to be a one man raid team.

Botting is when no player is there controlling the movement. It does not matter if multiboxing is also being used so that two or more characters are slaved to one master. If that master is a bot, and no player is around to drive it, it is botting.

This video at the top is classic bot for the very reason that @Sharee described. It is likely they will always go to the same spot, whether there is a monster there or not, and make the same stops in a loop, following the same path.

The difference between a human doing that and a bot doing that is that the human, no matter how much they try, will always do it differently each time. The current bot technology will do it with computer precision, no matter how much they try to do otherwise.

Regarding multiboxing... Given the recent change in stance on keyboard macros, where they have shut down the use of keyboard macros even for chat emotes, I would find it hard to believe that they have not also changed their stance on multiboxing.

you wrong

multiboxing is allowed

developers told it long ago few times

@QuadroTony do you recall about when and I'll see if I can do a locate on it?