Casual Players are being affected by "Bots".

Jessabella · April 2014

I just wanted to add this here in hopes it would be seen by CS service before vanishing amidst the 1000s.

I know there is a lot of "legit" farmers and boss camping going on, I'm ok with that. But Yesterday I almost left a lvl 5 dungeon without really "clearing it" because there was 2 bots and they were killing the boss before I knew he was there. I thought I was done.

My Clannfear ran over and got a hit while I was unlocking a chest and then I realized that the 2 chars standing perfectly still in the exact same spot were bots. I watched for about 30 mins always trying to hit the boss as he spawned but never managed to get a drop.

Here is the thing, I am having a hard time actually playing ESO right now. I've been in PTS and beta since July, I love the game, I used to be on 6-10 hours a day. Now I am lucky if I can get in an hour because of pregnancy related nausea, so I am a very casual player right now. Most of my online time is spent chatting to avoid screen movement. I plan to stick around long term so I am not worried, I will get there eventually, But right now when I do manage to "play" I can not because of the bots making it hard for me to even complete an area. I was unable to even report them before a wave of sickness made me log off.

Please do something about this so those of us who only get a few minutes of play time a day can still enjoy the game!

CrimsonThomas · April 2014

It's horrible, the people behind these bots are ruining The Elder Scrolls Online. Not just making it harder, they are literally breaking the game for everybody.

RedTalon · April 2014

There are some bots doing things like that, but its sometimes tricky to see who the bot is and who isn't since the bosses always spawn in the same spot.

Good find and hope it does get addressed.

Stiler · April 2014

I was clearing a dungeon as well yesterday and came to the boss and a whole group of people were just standing over him (with about 10 versions of him laying on the floor that they had cleared before then).

I wanted to get the blue he dropped so I thought I'd be able to get some hits in and get it, but nope, no matter what I did , I could throw a huge dps spell, critical surge, auto attack, I NEVER could get a drop from it.

I asked in say if they were grouped up and if I could get an invite so we can all get the loot, they didn't say a word or anything, just stood there doing nothing, until he spawned, didn't move, use emotes (a few people that wandered in would stop and wait as well and some would use emotes to try and break the ice) but this core group that were all circled around him never moved, said anything, or did anything but attack the boss.

I got fed up after trying about 5 times and getting 0 drops so I left.

jmkilthau · April 2014

There are a lot of bot videos getting posted on the reddit site as well about bots that are teleport gathering in starter zones. And I saw one last night in Bal Foyen. It's a little ridiculous, but I don't see them letting this continue as it is severely game-breaking.

Jessabella · April 2014

In my case, there was not other players when I entered the area, except the 2 bots with names like "hjshfk" so I it was not obvious that there was more to complete there. After reading a book you got a mage guild quest so that made it seem like you were done.

Others did eventually wander in, and try to get in a hit, they asked if I got EXP, I told them not even drops.

Those of us who don't care to farm bosses or read about the best places to lvl will just be unaware that there is even spawning mobs in these places that unlock achievements, Well I guess the bots or groups of people would be a tip off. So there is at least some good I suppose. At least I am low enough lvl and have done the early parts of this area so much during beta that I know I have missed nothing till this point.

Geneticspore · April 2014

jmkilthau wrote: »

There are a lot of bot videos getting posted on the reddit site as well about bots that are teleport gathering in starter zones. And I saw one last night in Bal Foyen. It's a little ridiculous, but I don't see them letting this continue as it is severely game-breaking.

After the fiasco of a launch they've done here I wouldn't put it past them to really not give a rat's ass about bots. Sure they may or may not have done something about the gold spammers, but the overall lack of customer service I have gotten over the past few days since my unaccessable "free" time has started, I don't see them doing anything anytime soon.

zen22937b16_ESO · April 2014

I agree, botting is a huge problem.

Botting was the main thing that drove me away from GW2, and as much as I like ESO (and I really do!) if this problem isn't severly reduced at the end of the month, I will be cancelling my subscription as I mainly play for rp and crafting. Botting to a large extend cripples casual players crafting.

Jessabella · April 2014

@Geneticspore, I know its hard to be patient with them right now with all the problems, But I have been around a while and I have seen some of the best CS anywhere in this game. CS is why I decided to sub in the first place. I had never heard of The Elder Scrolls before July.

Its a shame that people are not seeing that side of the CS team right now, but I still have faith once this initial rush passes people will start to see what myself and many others did experience before the game launched. Its the same way I feel about the bots. I don't expect to log on today or even next week and find them gone. I don't expect to see broken side quests fixed soon, or minor graphic glitches taken care of either. I would rather they focus on getting everyone in game right now and helping those that have been hit by the sub fee and lack of 30 days. I do hope they fix what your problem is for you soon.

jmkilthau · April 2014

Geneticspore wrote: »

jmkilthau wrote: »

There are a lot of bot videos getting posted on the reddit site as well about bots that are teleport gathering in starter zones. And I saw one last night in Bal Foyen. It's a little ridiculous, but I don't see them letting this continue as it is severely game-breaking.

After the fiasco of a launch they've done here I wouldn't put it past them to really not give a rat's ass about bots. Sure they may or may not have done something about the gold spammers, but the overall lack of customer service I have gotten over the past few days since my unaccessable "free" time has started, I don't see them doing anything anytime soon.

I think it's important to remember though that a lot of MMO's have a rough launch, and think about the thousands of tickets being submitted everyday compared to the hundred or less people they have working in support that have to go through each and every one. Sure they can have an automated system but they still probably have to pull out and deal with tons of issues directly. And just because they have been silent doesn't mean they are seeing what the issues are and aren't working on them. I have played a few MMO's that had a hard time communicating with the players but when they released patches they would have addressed many important issues.

Also, I bet you the early access thing was a way to test server stability.. Just kind of throwing that out there.