Is Unattended macro farming a resource node NOT against the rules?

Elsonso · November 2017

rotaugen454 wrote: »

Anyone defending this or claiming to watch Netflix while mashing a button for 12 hours straight is either:
1) bored and trying to cause an argument or
2) using macros to violate TOS and trying to make a case that they aren't.

He probably is running automation, but to be brutally honest, unless you stand there and watch him for 12 hours, you don't know he was there for 12 hours. Just becuse he is there at noon, and again at midnight, does not mean he was logged in for the entire span between those two.

I say this because he disappeared on me for a while. I could not determine whether he was logged out, in another part of the game, or whether he was just in a different instance of Bal Foyen. I used different characters, even different accounts, and zoned in and out, along with a few other things, to try and find out if he was in a different instance. I always ended up in the same instance of the zone.

If he is sitting there pressing "E" each time the node appears, he doesn't need forum warriors on a mission to report bots causing troubles for him.

He is suspicious enough to be reported, but it is not up to us whether he is violating the ToS and it is not up to us to definitively state that he is, or is not, pressing the "E" key.

SugaComa · November 2017

lagrue wrote: »

KRBMMO wrote: »

krachall wrote: »

Almost every time I head out to farm resources, the same player is standing in the same spot macro-farming the same raw ancestor silk node. He's usually there for 8+ hours and loots the nodes so fast that he's begun looting before the node appears on my screen. I assume he's using a macro that is spamming the E key as fast as possible.

I've reported him at least 6 times yet there he is, for hours every day, farming that same node.

If it's not against the rules, what program is he using, as I'll do that 24/7!

It's against the rules.

Zenimax has specifically stated that even if you are physically present and just holding down one key (while reading a book, watching tv, etc.) that is against the TOS.

The subject came up when people were just pew-pewing highly populated dolmens to level up without actually playing..

Gonna need to see the actual TOS excerpt that states this explicitly. A forum post by a ZOS employee is not a legally binding thing, the TOS is. So I'd need to see where in the TOS it says I can't sit there mashing a button.

The TOS on bots:

"You agree not to use any hardware or software or any other method of support that is not authorized by ZeniMax or that may in any way influence or advantage Your playing abilities, or influence or advantage Your use of the Services. Third party tools, the use of "bots", "speed hacks", "deep-link", "page-scrape", "robot", "spider", algorithms or other programs that copy or monitor any part of the Services (including, but not limited to, the Game(s) and/or forums), software that transmits, manipulates, or distributes (including, but are limited to, "mirroring") the data stream or any aspect of the Services to another computer, server websites or other publication or distribution media, or software that permits You to use Services without human input are examples of methods not authorized by ZeniMax."

There is nothing there stating I can't press a button over and over, if human input is there, then its not against the TOS as far as I can tell.

Engage in disruptive behavior in chat areas, game areas, forums, or any other area or aspect of the Services. Examples of disruptive behavior include, but are not limited to, conduct which interferes with the normal flow of gameplay or dialogue within a Service, vulgar language, abusiveness, hitting the return key repeatedly or inputting large images so the screen goes by too fast to read, use of excessive shouting [i.e., all text in capitals] in an attempt to disturb other users, "spamming" or flooding [i.e., posting repetitive text], commercial postings, solicitations and advertisements, posting advertising or promotional messaging, chain letters, pyramid schemes, or other commercial activities;

I feel that would constitute disrupting the normal flow of gameplay

SugaComa · November 2017

Slick_007 wrote: »

if you drop the warden ability in the right spot will he teleport to you?

Only in cyrodil

Runs · November 2017

Drag a mob or two to him. One that does aoe damage, make sure one of the aoes hit him then let yourself die and the mob will go after him since its aoe forced him into combat.

Assuming of course he isn't a sorc with pets out.

alexkdd99 · November 2017

lagrue wrote: »

KRBMMO wrote: »

krachall wrote: »

Almost every time I head out to farm resources, the same player is standing in the same spot macro-farming the same raw ancestor silk node. He's usually there for 8+ hours and loots the nodes so fast that he's begun looting before the node appears on my screen. I assume he's using a macro that is spamming the E key as fast as possible.

I've reported him at least 6 times yet there he is, for hours every day, farming that same node.

If it's not against the rules, what program is he using, as I'll do that 24/7!

It's against the rules.

Zenimax has specifically stated that even if you are physically present and just holding down one key (while reading a book, watching tv, etc.) that is against the TOS.

The subject came up when people were just pew-pewing highly populated dolmens to level up without actually playing..

Gonna need to see the actual TOS excerpt that states this explicitly. A forum post by a ZOS employee is not a legally binding thing, the TOS is. So I'd need to see where in the TOS it says I can't sit there mashing a button.

The TOS on bots:

"You agree not to use any hardware or software or any other method of support that is not authorized by ZeniMax or that may in any way influence or advantage Your playing abilities, or influence or advantage Your use of the Services. Third party tools, the use of "bots", "speed hacks", "deep-link", "page-scrape", "robot", "spider", algorithms or other programs that copy or monitor any part of the Services (including, but not limited to, the Game(s) and/or forums), software that transmits, manipulates, or distributes (including, but are limited to, "mirroring") the data stream or any aspect of the Services to another computer, server websites or other publication or distribution media, or software that permits You to use Services without human input are examples of methods not authorized by ZeniMax."

There is nothing there stating I can't press a button over and over, if human input is there, then its not against the TOS as far as I can tell.

They can ban you freely. At their own discretion. You don't own the game, you are renting a license to play it, they can take away that license at any time for any reason.

So it doesn't have to be in the tos for them to be able to ban you.

Tandor · November 2017

thedude33 wrote: »

lordrichter wrote: »

krachall wrote: »

Almost every time I head out to farm resources, the same player is standing in the same spot macro-farming the same raw ancestor silk node. He's usually there for 8+ hours and loots the nodes so fast that he's begun looting before the node appears on my screen. I assume he's using a macro that is spamming the E key as fast as possible.

I've reported him at least 6 times yet there he is, for hours every day, farming that same node.

If it's not against the rules, what program is he using, as I'll do that 24/7!

Here is what I think. If he is using a program to watch for the spawn, a macro that presses and holds "E", or has set a rock on the "E" key to hold it down, then it is against the rules. If he is sitting there actually pressing the "E" with his own finger, then he is really not breaking any rules.

What if it's his cat? ..and that cat is sitting there actually pressing the 'E' with his paw? Legit?

Account sharing is against the rules.

Tandor · November 2017

Tan9oSuccka wrote: »

Why do people defend these actions?

People that macro, rubber band etc...

Ban them. End story.

I think it's pretty obvious why people defend these actions.

Shawn_PT · November 2017

I don't understand how this is possible. If I happen upon two nodes overlapping or close enough that I don't actually have to move to pick them both, I am unable to interact with them. Say, if an ore node is side by side with a rune, I stop, pick the ore, and the interaction is replaced by the rune one. If I use it, the text turns gray as if the animation of harvesting was happening but it does not happen, and the node never opens. I have to take one step aside then come back to actually be able to harvest the second node.

This is true for butterflies and bugs flying over nodes as well. If I grab the bug atop some silk and don't move before attempting to grab the silk, I'm stuck in gray text mode and can't pick the node unless I move. Like the game registers I've picked a note at x time on coordinates y and will not allow me to pick another unless I change my coordinates.

How is it possible for a player to grab the same node in succession without moving? Unless there's a timer that ignores coordinates if the picking action is delayed long enough.

Wreuntzylla · November 2017

alexkdd99 wrote: »

lagrue wrote: »

KRBMMO wrote: »

krachall wrote: »

Almost every time I head out to farm resources, the same player is standing in the same spot macro-farming the same raw ancestor silk node. He's usually there for 8+ hours and loots the nodes so fast that he's begun looting before the node appears on my screen. I assume he's using a macro that is spamming the E key as fast as possible.

I've reported him at least 6 times yet there he is, for hours every day, farming that same node.

If it's not against the rules, what program is he using, as I'll do that 24/7!

It's against the rules.

Zenimax has specifically stated that even if you are physically present and just holding down one key (while reading a book, watching tv, etc.) that is against the TOS.

The subject came up when people were just pew-pewing highly populated dolmens to level up without actually playing..

Gonna need to see the actual TOS excerpt that states this explicitly. A forum post by a ZOS employee is not a legally binding thing, the TOS is. So I'd need to see where in the TOS it says I can't sit there mashing a button.

The TOS on bots:

"You agree not to use any hardware or software or any other method of support that is not authorized by ZeniMax or that may in any way influence or advantage Your playing abilities, or influence or advantage Your use of the Services. Third party tools, the use of "bots", "speed hacks", "deep-link", "page-scrape", "robot", "spider", algorithms or other programs that copy or monitor any part of the Services (including, but not limited to, the Game(s) and/or forums), software that transmits, manipulates, or distributes (including, but are limited to, "mirroring") the data stream or any aspect of the Services to another computer, server websites or other publication or distribution media, or software that permits You to use Services without human input are examples of methods not authorized by ZeniMax."

There is nothing there stating I can't press a button over and over, if human input is there, then its not against the TOS as far as I can tell.

They can ban you freely. At their own discretion. You don't own the game, you are renting a license to play it, they can take away that license at any time for any reason.

So it doesn't have to be in the tos for them to be able to ban you.

I wonder... would the people who think contracts are fully enforceable give up their first born if that was buried somewhere in there and they missed it?

Nestor · November 2017

Shawn_PT wrote: »

How is it possible for a player to grab the same node in succession without moving? Unless there's a timer that ignores coordinates if the picking action is delayed long enough.

We discussed this extensively a year or two ago. We came to the conclusion that Nodes respawn for various reasons. Well, two of them. Some are on a Timer and will respawn as that timer resets. Some are set to respawn based on the number of people in the zone, to support farming activities. That same timer may apply to both types of nodes, like after 3 minutes it does a population check, then spawns if needed, or it just spawns every 3 minutes. This is supported by an area I know of that has 12 Nirn nodes surrounding it and how these nodes spawn when I am the only one around and when it is a busier time of day. I know nodes can spawn on different timers because I have seen patch notes where they changed the spawn timers on some nodes respawning too often.

Anyway, this node is probably on a fixed timer. All ZOS has to do is change the timer to a longer time period and this bot or hyper focused player will go on to another node they find.

Shawn_PT · November 2017

Nestor wrote: »

Shawn_PT wrote: »

How is it possible for a player to grab the same node in succession without moving? Unless there's a timer that ignores coordinates if the picking action is delayed long enough.

We discussed this extensively a year or two ago. We came to the conclusion that Nodes respawn for various reasons. Well, two of them. Some are on a Timer and will respawn as that timer resets. Some are set to respawn based on the number of people in the zone, to support farming activities. That same timer may apply to both types of nodes, like after 3 minutes it does a population check, then spawns if needed, or it just spawns every 3 minutes. This is supported by an area I know of that has 12 Nirn nodes surrounding it and how these nodes spawn when I am the only one around and when it is a busier time of day. I know nodes can spawn on different timers because I have seen patch notes where they changed the spawn timers on some nodes respawning too often.

Anyway, this node is probably on a fixed timer. All ZOS has to do is change the timer to a longer time period and this bot or hyper focused player will go on to another node they find.

Fair enough. It was possibly before my forum time. Makes sense. I was under the impression that all nodes spawned based on whether others had been picked or not, like picking one on the far east forces another on the west to instantly spawn again. Mostly because when I'm sitting around a node area while the population is at its low I seldom see stuff spawn again after I've picked it, even if I loiter for some time.

Wreuntzylla · November 2017

Nestor wrote: »

Shawn_PT wrote: »

How is it possible for a player to grab the same node in succession without moving? Unless there's a timer that ignores coordinates if the picking action is delayed long enough.

We discussed this extensively a year or two ago. We came to the conclusion that Nodes respawn for various reasons. Well, two of them. Some are on a Timer and will respawn as that timer resets. Some are set to respawn based on the number of people in the zone, to support farming activities. That same timer may apply to both types of nodes, like after 3 minutes it does a population check, then spawns if needed, or it just spawns every 3 minutes. This is supported by an area I know of that has 12 Nirn nodes surrounding it and how these nodes spawn when I am the only one around and when it is a busier time of day. I know nodes can spawn on different timers because I have seen patch notes where they changed the spawn timers on some nodes respawning too often.

Anyway, this node is probably on a fixed timer. All ZOS has to do is change the timer to a longer time period and this bot or hyper focused player will go on to another node they find.

That'a all still pretty much the same today. The hew's bane nodes are a bit special as they designed that zone to be a farming zone, while nerfing the spawn rate in other zones a bit to heavily (which they subsequently buffed a tiny bit when the complaints skyrocketed). It's too small to be a good harvest zone unless you get an empty instance, which is why ZoS'double harvest event is largely a failure from a player perspective. However, the mega-metal spot is almost always worth driving by.

Many (most?) nodes outside of certain DLC locations typically have some type of penalty cooldown. The node will respawn 2-3 times in relatively quick succession, and then nothing for a long stretch. They seem to have account capped quite a few things at some point as getting nirncrux drops follows the same pattern. Logging in and out, or logging in a new character, seems to reset the cooldown system, but it could just be instance related.

There used to be nodes that respawned every 3-5sec, causing people to camp the node non-stop. Each of these apparently had to be individually weeded out as a new insta-spawn was regularly discovered and reported on these forums. I haven't seen mention of an instant spawn in a long time, though.

I personally think mats are too rare in ESO at the moment, which is reflected in the stupidly high per unit cost of refined mats on guild traders. They can end the botting by simply lowering the amount of refined mats it takes to make CP160 gear. Crafted items should not be gated by high cost mats, especially when the crafted gear is now so far behind dropped gear.

Elsonso · November 2017

Wreuntzylla wrote: »

I personally think mats are too rare in ESO at the moment, which is reflected in the stupidly high per unit cost of refined mats on guild traders. They can end the botting by simply lowering the amount of refined mats it takes to make CP160 gear. Crafted items should not be gated by high cost mats, especially when the crafted gear is now so far behind dropped gear.

I don't think this would impact botting. Most players aren't making CP160 gear. I do wish the guy who said "crafted gear will always be the best gear" still worked for the studio, though.

Wreuntzylla · November 2017

lordrichter wrote: »

Wreuntzylla wrote: »

I personally think mats are too rare in ESO at the moment, which is reflected in the stupidly high per unit cost of refined mats on guild traders. They can end the botting by simply lowering the amount of refined mats it takes to make CP160 gear. Crafted items should not be gated by high cost mats, especially when the crafted gear is now so far behind dropped gear.

I don't think this would impact botting. Most players aren't making CP160 gear. I do wish the guy who said "crafted gear will always be the best gear" still worked for the studio, though.

I would be happy with just competitive.

In some cases, crafted gear is essentially superseded by dropped gear. Sanctuary and Twilight's Embrace spring to mind. The only time you would choose embrace over sanctuary is for solo PvE, and unless you are trying to solo vet dungeons, healing received is irrelevant.

phairdon · November 2017

Just like bots did in the past, when killing mobs. The bots would stand on the spawn and continually spam skills. Now its nodes, instead of killing mobs.

Tandor · November 2017

Wreuntzylla wrote: »

alexkdd99 wrote: »

lagrue wrote: »

KRBMMO wrote: »

krachall wrote: »

Almost every time I head out to farm resources, the same player is standing in the same spot macro-farming the same raw ancestor silk node. He's usually there for 8+ hours and loots the nodes so fast that he's begun looting before the node appears on my screen. I assume he's using a macro that is spamming the E key as fast as possible.

I've reported him at least 6 times yet there he is, for hours every day, farming that same node.

If it's not against the rules, what program is he using, as I'll do that 24/7!

It's against the rules.

Zenimax has specifically stated that even if you are physically present and just holding down one key (while reading a book, watching tv, etc.) that is against the TOS.

The subject came up when people were just pew-pewing highly populated dolmens to level up without actually playing..

Gonna need to see the actual TOS excerpt that states this explicitly. A forum post by a ZOS employee is not a legally binding thing, the TOS is. So I'd need to see where in the TOS it says I can't sit there mashing a button.

The TOS on bots:

"You agree not to use any hardware or software or any other method of support that is not authorized by ZeniMax or that may in any way influence or advantage Your playing abilities, or influence or advantage Your use of the Services. Third party tools, the use of "bots", "speed hacks", "deep-link", "page-scrape", "robot", "spider", algorithms or other programs that copy or monitor any part of the Services (including, but not limited to, the Game(s) and/or forums), software that transmits, manipulates, or distributes (including, but are limited to, "mirroring") the data stream or any aspect of the Services to another computer, server websites or other publication or distribution media, or software that permits You to use Services without human input are examples of methods not authorized by ZeniMax."

There is nothing there stating I can't press a button over and over, if human input is there, then its not against the TOS as far as I can tell.

They can ban you freely. At their own discretion. You don't own the game, you are renting a license to play it, they can take away that license at any time for any reason.

So it doesn't have to be in the tos for them to be able to ban you.

I wonder... would the people who think contracts are fully enforceable give up their first born if that was buried somewhere in there and they missed it?

No, because it would be held in law to be an unreasonable term and therefore unenforceable, which is very different to what we're discussing here.

Mureel · November 2017

Turelus wrote: »

@Mureel the only official information I know on interaction with character is the post by Jess quoted below. I am not aware of them updating this, however I could be wrong.
Her reply doesn't state you can't sit and hold a button but it's likely they're going to mistake your behaviour for automation.

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi everyone,

We know there have been a lot of questions recently about botting, automated play, what’s a Terms of Service Violation and what isn’t, and what we’re doing to combat TOS-violating behavior. We’d like to answer some of those questions and provide insight.

Per our Terms of Service, this is the definition of botting and automated play:

Utilizing automation for your character is a violation of our Terms of Service. This is defined as taking action on your character, without human input, to further advance your progress in the game. Which is considered botting.

Recently, some of you have asked if it’s okay to put tape or a rubber band on your controller. The short answer is “No.” Automating your character in any way, including placing tape or a rubber-band on a console controller, is considered a violation of our Terms of Service, and action may be taken on your account. You must be actively controlling your character.

In regards to our efforts to combat botting and automated play, we’re tackling it on two fronts: Game Development and Customer Support.

On the Game Development front, we are auditing the monsters that are most commonly targeted by those who bot and automate play to ensure the spawn timers are what they should be. As we find them, we’re fixing any monsters that are instantly re-spawning or on a spawn timer that is shorter than intended.

On the Customer Support side of things, our Terms of Service team suspends and bans accounts daily. We review all TOS reports that we receive, and prioritize the investigations of accounts that have received multiple complaints. We regularly send our Support Agents in-game to watch high-traffic areas such as Dolmens, and take action on any violators we identify. We turn over identified “black marketeers” and repeat offenders to Sony and Microsoft, which sometimes results in a ban of the individual’s PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. We also do other secret things.

So how can you help us with our efforts to get rid of those who are botting and/or automating their characters? Reporting them to us is a huge help, and we do review every ticket we receive.

Here are some steps for using the in-game reporting tools:

On PC/Mac
Radial Menu
Reporting players via the radial menu is the preferred method. Walk up to the player you wish to report and Press [F] to open the radial menu. Select “Report Player” then let go of [F] to open the Report Player window. Press [E] to report the player for botting, or [R] to open the Ticket Creation page.

Chat Window
You can also Right-click on a player character name in their chat window and choose the “Report Player” option.

Press [E] to report a player for chat spam, including spamming gold sales advertisements. This will automatically send a report and does not require you to open and fill out a ticket.

Press [R] to report another player for something unrelated to spam. Choosing this option opens the Ticket Creation page.

On PS4/Xbox One
Radial Menu
As with PC/Mac, reporting players via the radial menu is preferred. Simply walk up to the player you wish to report and press the [Menu] button on Xbox One or [Options] button on PlayStation 4 to open the radial menu. Select “Report Player” then let go of [Menu] or [Options] to open the Report Player window.

Customer Service Menu
Navigate to the Player Menu ([Menu] on Xbox One or [Options]) on PlayStation 4 and find the Help Menu.
From there, select the Customer Service Menu and proceed to fill out a ticket under the appropriate category type.

Please provide the following information when reporting another player:
The name of the player you are reported

The reason why you are reporting them (Spam, Botting, or Harassment)

The time of the incident

The megaserver that the reported player is playing on

If you wish to include visual proof of the violation, such as screenshots or video footage, simply reply to your Support Ticket to update it and add the files.

We hope this info helps – thank you for being a part of our community and continuing to report any potential TOS violations you see!

Exactly.

I don';t ever just farm one node I would die! but yeah - I like people to cite the source if they make claims like that one because I know they cannot tell me I cannot sit here and press a button myself.

Elsonso · November 2017

Mureel wrote: »

Exactly. I don';t ever just farm one node I would die! but yeah - I like people to cite the source if they make claims like that one because I know they cannot tell me I cannot sit here and press a button myself.

As far as I am concerned, people can sit there for hours on end and press "E", so long as they are running the character, and not someone, or something, else. When they get up and leave, for whatever reason, or stop pressing "E", the character stops harvesting.

Specific to the bot in this thread, I don't think it matters anymore. Last report was that the guy was just standing there, likely with a full inventory. I have not seen him in hours. He is probably elsewhere, having offloaded his inventory. Without him standing there, ZOS has nothing to act upon. There has not been enough elapsed time for ZOS to act on tickets. His gathering rate will be well below what is statistically possible. He is just another character with a full inventory that has spent a lot of time online.

Edit: Also, I don't think he is the only account in Bal Foyen that is cheating

KRBMMO · November 2017

Mureel wrote: »

Turelus wrote: »

@Mureel the only official information I know on interaction with character is the post by Jess quoted below. I am not aware of them updating this, however I could be wrong.
Her reply doesn't state you can't sit and hold a button but it's likely they're going to mistake your behaviour for automation.

ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »

Hi everyone,

We know there have been a lot of questions recently about botting, automated play, what’s a Terms of Service Violation and what isn’t, and what we’re doing to combat TOS-violating behavior. We’d like to answer some of those questions and provide insight.

Per our Terms of Service, this is the definition of botting and automated play:

Utilizing automation for your character is a violation of our Terms of Service. This is defined as taking action on your character, without human input, to further advance your progress in the game. Which is considered botting.

Recently, some of you have asked if it’s okay to put tape or a rubber band on your controller. The short answer is “No.” Automating your character in any way, including placing tape or a rubber-band on a console controller, is considered a violation of our Terms of Service, and action may be taken on your account. You must be actively controlling your character.

In regards to our efforts to combat botting and automated play, we’re tackling it on two fronts: Game Development and Customer Support.

On the Game Development front, we are auditing the monsters that are most commonly targeted by those who bot and automate play to ensure the spawn timers are what they should be. As we find them, we’re fixing any monsters that are instantly re-spawning or on a spawn timer that is shorter than intended.

On the Customer Support side of things, our Terms of Service team suspends and bans accounts daily. We review all TOS reports that we receive, and prioritize the investigations of accounts that have received multiple complaints. We regularly send our Support Agents in-game to watch high-traffic areas such as Dolmens, and take action on any violators we identify. We turn over identified “black marketeers” and repeat offenders to Sony and Microsoft, which sometimes results in a ban of the individual’s PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. We also do other secret things.

So how can you help us with our efforts to get rid of those who are botting and/or automating their characters? Reporting them to us is a huge help, and we do review every ticket we receive.

Here are some steps for using the in-game reporting tools:

On PC/Mac
Radial Menu
Reporting players via the radial menu is the preferred method. Walk up to the player you wish to report and Press [F] to open the radial menu. Select “Report Player” then let go of [F] to open the Report Player window. Press [E] to report the player for botting, or [R] to open the Ticket Creation page.

Chat Window
You can also Right-click on a player character name in their chat window and choose the “Report Player” option.

Press [E] to report a player for chat spam, including spamming gold sales advertisements. This will automatically send a report and does not require you to open and fill out a ticket.

Press [R] to report another player for something unrelated to spam. Choosing this option opens the Ticket Creation page.

On PS4/Xbox One
Radial Menu
As with PC/Mac, reporting players via the radial menu is preferred. Simply walk up to the player you wish to report and press the [Menu] button on Xbox One or [Options] button on PlayStation 4 to open the radial menu. Select “Report Player” then let go of [Menu] or [Options] to open the Report Player window.

Customer Service Menu
Navigate to the Player Menu ([Menu] on Xbox One or [Options]) on PlayStation 4 and find the Help Menu.
From there, select the Customer Service Menu and proceed to fill out a ticket under the appropriate category type.

Please provide the following information when reporting another player:
The name of the player you are reported

The reason why you are reporting them (Spam, Botting, or Harassment)

The time of the incident

The megaserver that the reported player is playing on

If you wish to include visual proof of the violation, such as screenshots or video footage, simply reply to your Support Ticket to update it and add the files.

We hope this info helps – thank you for being a part of our community and continuing to report any potential TOS violations you see!

Exactly. I don';t ever just farm one node I would die! but yeah - I like people to cite the source if they make claims like that one because I know they cannot tell me I cannot sit here and press a button myself.

If you say you sit in a chair for more than eight hours and just press one button I call you a liar. Show me a 8-hour video of you staring at a screen pressing only one button or shut up.

Or better yet send me your address and I'll send you a box of tissue when you get banned.

rynth · November 2017

mean while everyone else is in game farming stuff and going about their gaming lives not being effected by this stuff.

Alchemical · November 2017

>Is Unattended macro farming a resource node NOT against the rules?

>Unattended

Like, that should have been the beginning and the end of this thread. If you're not physically there it is almost certainly against ToS.

People can make wacky theoreticals up like "what if I get a dippy bird to press E for me every 30 seconds BUT I'm also sitting at my keyboard and sometimes tap w" but you know you're being a disingenuous when you do stuff like that.

nnargun · November 2017

I watch Netflix while fishing. Please don't ban me.

Honestly, if someone is actually pressing the button, no matter what else they do besides, it shouldn't be a problem. Using macros or a bird is a different. But if ZOS can't tell if you're using a macro or not, they shouldn't just ban you. And personally I think if you actually get a bird to play the game for you...well done, my hats off to you.

Kozato · November 2017

coop500 wrote: »

Tan9oSuccka wrote: »

Why do people defend these actions?

People that macro, rubber band etc...

Ban them. End story.

Agreed, hell people are using this thread to promote macroing, where is the banning?

Where are people doing that? Quote please.

Elsonso · November 2017

nnargun wrote: »

Honestly, if someone is actually pressing the button, no matter what else they do besides, it shouldn't be a problem. Using macros or a bird is a different. But if ZOS can't tell if you're using a macro or not, they shouldn't just ban you. And personally I think if you actually get a bird to play the game for you...well done, my hats off to you.

It is pretty easy to detect someone running a macro unattended, but ZOS has to do it. We cannot.

If the person is running a keyboard macro, has a trained cat, one of those drinking birds, or just has a simple rock on the keyboard, ZOS can tell.

nnargun · November 2017

How about a real bird though? Can they tell? I'm specifically thinking about a pigeon. Those I can get for free in front of my house.

jaschacasadiob16_ESO · November 2017

nnargun wrote: »

What are you saying there? I suppose it's impossible to pick up 3000 raw material of any kind in 1 hour. You would have to loot a node every ~4 seconds. Anyways, 800 raw materials are better than 0 raw materials. There is no arguing about this.

When you farm you should have the right skills and CP. And you should be in the right place at the right time (lots of nodes, little people . Know a path rich of nodes whose end is the start. Increase gathering speed, mats gathered and movement speed. Have mats shine from far away. Avoid conflict and plants (not silk) since they are just a waste of time. Have the craft bag, of course. ...and so on...

nnargun · November 2017

So it's not an exaggeration? It's possible to pick up more than 3000 raw materials in one hour on a regular basis? I have a hard time imagining this but I'll try myelf for sure. One hour per day should be enough to buy houses, gear, styles, and what not in very short time.

Minyassa · November 2017

Hey, since NPCs can push people aside, do merchants and bankers count as NPCs? Can you lead a banker or merchant through him and push him off target?

SFDB · November 2017

Let me ask: I work and play on the same PC, sometimes both at the same time (e.g., do some work, do my writ, do some work, head to the bank, do some work, fish out a hole). When mats run low I've thought about parking in front of a node, and do some work, check and see if node spawned, then back again, harvesting if it's there but only if I'm now actively back in the game (because the login time is too impractically long to just log out and then back in).

So, and this is just a question: would you say there's nothing wrong with being AFK so long as you're not doing anything until you are actively involved in the game (even if it's only for five to ten seconds)?

Kozato · November 2017

nnargun wrote: »

How about a real bird though? Can they tell? I'm specifically thinking about a pigeon. Those I can get for free in front of my house.

I believe woodpeckers will do better. Pigeons won't always do as you ask.