An Elegant and Awesome Solution to Bot Trains
redspecter23
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Nobody likes bot trains. 12 players hugging each other tight running around killing assorted mobs on a predetermined path. There never seems to be enough mods to deal with them fast enough. Just not enough manpower. What if the process could be automated?
What if, every few respawn cycles, a mob along a well traveled bot path could respawn not as a harpy or mudcrab, but as a city guard instead? Any player character will see the guard and choose not to engage, but a bot train will run straight toward it and initiate combat. As we all know, any fight against a guard with any number of players will end the same way every time if those players choose to stay in combat with it. Not only will this wipe out bot trains every few minutes (depending on the rate of spawn), but it would be HILARIOUS to watch as well.
It's not a permanent solution but could be an automated process that would be relatively easy to implement.
What if, every few respawn cycles, a mob along a well traveled bot path could respawn not as a harpy or mudcrab, but as a city guard instead? Any player character will see the guard and choose not to engage, but a bot train will run straight toward it and initiate combat. As we all know, any fight against a guard with any number of players will end the same way every time if those players choose to stay in combat with it. Not only will this wipe out bot trains every few minutes (depending on the rate of spawn), but it would be HILARIOUS to watch as well.
It's not a permanent solution but could be an automated process that would be relatively easy to implement.
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LordGavus✭✭✭✭✭
✭I like it. Plus it would be great to watch bot trains get spanked by a guard.
However I assume bots could just be programmed not to attack guards?6 -
redspecter23✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭I like it. Plus it would be great to watch bot trains get spanked by a guard.
However I assume bots could just be programmed not to attack guards?
I'm sure they would find workarounds. I'm not familiar with the exact systems used to program bots. Even if that's the case, having guards in the general area of bot trains may allow clever players to tag them and bring them to the bots. If any bot tags the guard at that point, it leads to the same end result.2 -
redspecter23✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭wouldn't the no attacking innocents bypass this though
It might, but could be solved by giving these particular guards a yellow aura so they wouldn't be flagged as innocents but instead as potential, but non hostile targets. That might work if guards combat can be toggled off with the no attacking innocents toggle.
Even if this isn't a great workaround, players could still tag them and drag them to trains to get caught up in the combat as described above. It's not fully automated at that point, but would provide a fun little game and extra entertainment value.Edited by redspecter23 on May 12, 2018 3:06AM1 -
MajesticHaruki✭✭✭✭✭This requires an interest in taking care of the bots.PC/EU @MajThorax Sorcerer and Housing Decorator prodigy
In my spare time I collect materials and run away from mudcrabs11 -
DanteYoda✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭I other mmos they added mobs that would change after a time and if those mobs got hit over and over the accounts would get banned..
Basically a normal customer would not spawn those mobs because it took so many kills to spawn it, but bots they stay in the same areas forever killing...3 -
redspecter23✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭MajesticHaruki wrote: »This requires an interest in taking care of the bots.
True, but unlike other solutions such as having more mods or customer service people to look over reports and assign punishments, this is a one time development investment. Once it's up and running the manpower required to keep the system up and running is practically nothing. I suspect the constant cost of keeping real live people monitoring bots is part of the reason they are so hard to deal with.Edited by redspecter23 on May 12, 2018 3:23AM0 -
Emma_Overload✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭This is a really good idea. It might be immersion breaking, though... great care would need to be taken when this is implemented.#CAREBEARMASTERRACE1 -
Judas Helviaryn✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭I like this idea, though I'd much rather just have roaming world bosses similar to the IC, with their only roam limit being to city limits themselves. Just enough to prevent massive griefing, whilst simultaneously destroying bots they come across, and making the world feel more alive.
I get so tired of the invisible leash every single mob has. -_-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J19U9KdwA5k Edited by Judas Helviaryn on May 12, 2018 3:30AM1 -
Minyassa✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭I love it. I am one of the players who would happily sacrifice a life to drag one of these guards over to get a bot train engaged. I hate those mofos so hard I would do it OFTEN. It would be incredibly satisfying and bring a whole new dimension of catharsis to a game in which there never seems to be any consequence for nasty behavior.1 -
VaranisArano✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Alternatively, ZOS could just respond promptly to reported bots and monitor known popular train locations every couple of days, which would do wonders for our faith in their ability to stay on top of bots.
Reporting bots and seeing them continue to run for days is discouraging and makes players less likely to report bots in the future.5 -
Judas Helviaryn✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭VaranisArano wrote: »Alternatively, ZOS could just respond promptly to reported bots and monitor known popular train locations every couple of days, which would do wonders for our faith in their ability to stay on top of bots.
Reporting bots and seeing them continue to run for days is discouraging and makes players less likely to report bots in the future.
Edited by Judas Helviaryn on May 12, 2018 4:00AM2 -
Juhasow✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭It would require less effort for bot users or creators to prevent their accounts from interacting with those guards then for developers to implement fully working mechanic like that. Making this guard health bar yellow would also add additional implications not always good for players playing fair. ESO just needs more drastic politic against bots.1 -
N00BxV1✭✭✭✭✭
✭Instead of guards I'd rather see roaming bosses like those in imperial city/sewers. Make those botters work for their loot haha.2 -
ArchMikem✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭This would be glorious. I'd pull up a chair and watch.CP2,100 Master Explorer - AvA Two Star Warlord - Console Peasant - Khajiiti Aficionado - The Clan
Quest Objective: OMG Go Talk To That Kitty!1 -
AndyMac✭✭✭✭✭The bot group I saw in Reapers yesterday was more like 25 - I was like WTH????
Watching a group like that being annihilated by a guard or roaming world boss is something very many us of could enjoy
We'll probably never be able to just port entire bot groups to Cyro to get a bot group achieve, so this would be a great alternative.Andymac - Magicka DK - EP Grand Overlord - Flawless Conqueror2 -
Ackwalan✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭Somebody is buying the gold they are selling. As long as that continues, so will the bots. Go after the gold buyers in an aggressive manner, and the bot will leave by themselves.1 -
Dapper Dinosaur✭✭✭✭✭My solution to bot trains would be to have a daily harvesting limit for each type of material, where as soon as the cap is reached, mobs will no longer drop scraps and the user will be unable to interact with nodes.
Make it a higher number than any normal player will ever hit unless they have no life outside the game and they spend all of their time doing it, but low enough that bot trains will hit it in only a couple hours.0 -
zaria✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭✭✭✭An good idea name them ranger or something, yellow so they can be hit even if prevent hitting innocent is on.
They would ignore bounty.
Not sure exactly how bots work, some chance they will ignore the bots would not stand and fight guard but move on.
If so give guard an long leach, he is a bit slower than player and will stop chasing you if you are out of combat for some time.
If not guard will follow and enrage after 60 seconds.
Bot would need to actively avoid guards as they would be most active in areas with lots of bots.
You could even have guards spawn automatically from bot reports and have guards killing groups having an chance of more guards until this grew rare again.
Runescape used something a bit similar, various farming has an chance of spawning an boss you could evade or kill but again hard for bots. Even had an man giving you an gift if you solved an simple puzzle, if you did not reacted to him and did it he would go hostile.
Grinding just make you go in circles.
Asking ZoS for nerfs is as stupid as asking for close air support from the death star.2 -
Syncronaut✭✭✭Maybe not the guards, but a huge monster that doesnt drop anything.
+ it would give other bored players something to do0 -
Adernath✭✭✭✭✭I other mmos they added mobs that would change after a time and if those mobs got hit over and over the accounts would get banned..
Basically a normal customer would not spawn those mobs because it took so many kills to spawn it, but bots they stay in the same areas forever killing...Syncronaut wrote: »Maybe not the guards, but a huge monster that doesnt drop anything.
+ it would give other bored players something to do
This. Just spawn a big bad ugly mudcrab from time to time (for example) which is not so easily killed by 1-button-mashing bots - or something similar to the deadra spawns, just a little tougher. It also would be an enrichment for the world.
And yes, some more caring for this problem should be in order as well.
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aaisoaho✭✭✭✭✭Dapper Dinosaur wrote: »My solution to bot trains would be to have a daily harvesting limit for each type of material, where as soon as the cap is reached, mobs will no longer drop scraps and the user will be unable to interact with nodes.
Make it a higher number than any normal player will ever hit unless they have no life outside the game and they spend all of their time doing it, but low enough that bot trains will hit it in only a couple hours.
I'd settle for 1 000 raw mats per type. Because 200 mats takes me about 15min of active farming, so 1 000 takes about 1h15min nonstop farming.
But this mob guardian idea sounds cool, I wouldn't mind if the guardian was red or yellow, I could farm leather with the guardian mechanic and it would smite the bot trains. I have encountered bot trains only in Bangkorai and north-eastern Grahtwood, and honestly, they look ugly.0
