Zenimax - are the images of GMs taking action Real?
Rantog
✭✭✭✭
It began with a Single report of a GM informing everyone in a dungeon to get clear, then killing the bots.
But there was One set of images - somehow taken at points to perfectly tell the story, and no in-game rumors or accounts.
Now a couple of others have begun claiming similar...
So please tell us this is true -
Do you now have GMs actively banning the BOTs and gold spammers?
*crossing my fingers*
But there was One set of images - somehow taken at points to perfectly tell the story, and no in-game rumors or accounts.
Now a couple of others have begun claiming similar...
So please tell us this is true -
Do you now have GMs actively banning the BOTs and gold spammers?
*crossing my fingers*
0
-
Oogaci✭✭✭Killing the bots does absolutely nothing to fix the problem.
Unless they are banning those accounts while killing them it is simply a veiled attempt at making it "appear" as if they are doing something.
The companies that run those bot accounts will just script the avatars and move them into the open-world content... oh wait, that exactly what they are doing currently.2 -
Dita✭✭✭It began with a Single report of a GM informing everyone in a dungeon to get clear, then killing the bots.
But there was One set of images - somehow taken at points to perfectly tell the story, and no in-game rumors or accounts...
Can you, please point me to the images you were referring to ? Just want to see them .
"Begun the Bot Wars has"0 -
Vlas✭✭✭Yes, they are real. I had a guildie told me over VoIP about it, so I joined him and ported to him. Saw the GM in that ghostly form seen in the pictures. Different GM, but same results.0
-
Yeah, seems to be true... I can only applaud it... Even the idea of a mod popping up somewhere can be enough to detere botters
The statement "if you put enough monkeys behind enough typewriters... sooner or later one will produce the works of Shakespeare" has sadly been proven utterly wrong by the internet...3 -
Rantog✭✭✭✭pavelvmub17_ESO wrote: »It began with a Single report of a GM informing everyone in a dungeon to get clear, then killing the bots.
But there was One set of images - somehow taken at points to perfectly tell the story, and no in-game rumors or accounts...
Can you, please point me to the images you were referring to ? Just want to see them .
This was the first report..
imgur.com/a/0ROq91 -
Rantog✭✭✭✭
Well the need for Bans is obvious, and if simply Killing them would accomplish anything they would already be gone.Killing the bots does absolutely nothing to fix the problem.
Unless they are banning those accounts while killing them it is simply a veiled attempt at making it "appear" as if they are doing something.
The companies that run those bot accounts will just script the avatars and move them into the open-world content... oh wait, that exactly what they are doing currently.
(uploading a short clip on that right now)
I would hope they are aware of that and that the actions are actually resulting in those bans.
0 -
ZOS_JessicaFolsomCommunity ManagerThey are mythical creatures, much like unicorns, but they are there. Always watching, waiting for the chance to pounce on the soulless, mindless ones.
(Yes, they're real, and yes we do have GMs doing rounds to ban botters.)59 -
Rantog✭✭✭✭ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »They are mythical creatures, much like unicorns, but they are there. Always watching, waiting for the chance to pounce on the soulless, mindless ones.
(Yes, they're real, and yes we do have GMs doing rounds to ban botters.)
EXCELLENT!
Thank you!!!
Edited by Rantog on April 25, 2014 2:13PM0 -
ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »They are mythical creatures, much like unicorns, but they are there. Always watching, waiting for the chance to pounce on the soulless, mindless ones.
(Yes, they're real, and yes we do have GMs doing rounds to ban botters.)
Good to hear... thanks them from us will ya ? They deserve a nice round of applause (and maybe a round of drinks)
The statement "if you put enough monkeys behind enough typewriters... sooner or later one will produce the works of Shakespeare" has sadly been proven utterly wrong by the internet...3 -
Squishy✭✭✭ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »They are mythical creatures, much like unicorns, but they are there. Always watching, waiting for the chance to pounce on the soulless, mindless ones.
(Yes, they're real, and yes we do have GMs doing rounds to ban botters.)
I always liked mythical ponies."In 2014, a possible bot was sent to coldharbour by a military GM for a crime she didn't commit. This argonian promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Ebonheart underground. Today, still wanted by the developers she survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a bot problem, if no one else can bite you, and if you can find her....maybe you can hire The SQUISHY."0 -
ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »They are mythical creatures, much like unicorns, but they are there. Always watching, waiting for the chance to pounce on the soulless, mindless ones.
(Yes, they're real, and yes we do have GMs doing rounds to ban botters.)
nice to see, but what about those bots that are running scripts and obviously moving? Just go to the Bal Foyen Dalmora wayshrine and you will see 2 or 3 there been botting for weeks.
Just sit there with your mythical beast one day and see for yourselves. and keep in mind I harvest a lot for my dedicated crafter and I see them all over not just there.
0 -
liquid_wolf✭✭✭✭ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »They are mythical creatures, much like unicorns, but they are there. Always watching, waiting for the chance to pounce on the soulless, mindless ones.
(Yes, they're real, and yes we do have GMs doing rounds to ban botters.)
I should buy them dinner as thanks.1 -
Dalexx✭✭✭Killing the bots does absolutely nothing to fix the problem.
Unless they are banning those accounts while killing them it is simply a veiled attempt at making it "appear" as if they are doing something.
I know everyone here hates WoW, but I'm going to use them for an example anyways.
I imagine the purpose of killing the bots is to see how they respond to being killed. After all, how do you tell the difference between a bot and a person who is just farming the boss because he wants to? Blizzard had various ways they used to catch bots and most importantly, they let the bots run free for a while, so they could figure out how the bots worked, so they could implement changes they broke them from working.
Blizzard also sets traps like underground mining\flower nodes that only a botters could get to. once you see the nodes getting mined, you know you have a botter on the loose.
If I tell everyone to get away from the boss and 5 people move and 10 people named "asdjasi" stay, that doesn't alone prove that "adafa" is a bot and so you can't just ban him. You then kill everyone and see who complains, you do that a few times and you watch how the bots come back, where they set up and who fills zone chat with complaints about getting killed.
I think after their round of banning legit players, they are working to better identify botters and not just throw the ban hammer around freelyEdited by Dalexx on April 25, 2014 2:23PM6 -
ironicsilence wrote: »Using the report function on areas that get heavy bot traffic might be helpful
I report the ones that I see teleporting only. I cannot prove the others are running scripts but you have to be totally blind not to see it once you sit there and observe there patterns and behaviors.
Edited by IronMaiden_burnout on April 25, 2014 2:23PM0 -
Auric_ESO✭✭✭✭IronMaiden_burnout wrote: »ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »They are mythical creatures, much like unicorns, but they are there. Always watching, waiting for the chance to pounce on the soulless, mindless ones.
(Yes, they're real, and yes we do have GMs doing rounds to ban botters.)
nice to see, but
Jeez, give them a chance,"The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit." Morihei Ueshiba0 -
Nordak✭✭IronMaiden_burnout wrote: »ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »They are mythical creatures, much like unicorns, but they are there. Always watching, waiting for the chance to pounce on the soulless, mindless ones.
(Yes, they're real, and yes we do have GMs doing rounds to ban botters.)
nice to see, but what about those bots that are running scripts and obviously moving? Just go to the Bal Foyen Dalmora wayshrine and you will see 2 or 3 there been botting for weeks.
Just sit there with your mythical beast one day and see for yourselves. and keep in mind I harvest a lot for my dedicated crafter and I see them all over not just there.
May actually be multiboxers, they are the Unisoned ones that run together and perform the exact same action at the same time. May have some macros and can also be a pain in the ass.2 -
Wren80✭ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »They are mythical creatures, much like unicorns, but they are there. Always watching, waiting for the chance to pounce on the soulless, mindless ones.
(Yes, they're real, and yes we do have GMs doing rounds to ban botters.)
This is great to see! I would love to witness this in action someday.
However, as another posted said they are moving outdoors and finding other means. I've seen a ton of farming bots with names ssg, cu -cuin, and others running back and forth to mobs by Vivic's Antlers/Ebonheart. At least 10 of them. That and there are TONS of harvesting bots just south of Ebonheart too. Perhaps a separate issue (and I have reported this), but they are using some sort of harvesting hack where the Jute respawns instantaneously.
0 -
niocwy✭✭✭Great news ! thanks for the heads-up !Edited by niocwy on April 25, 2014 2:32PMLook at my profile picture. Visualize that muffin...smelling it...taking a bite...
Are you hungry now ?
Good.0 -
Vordar✭✭Its great to see Zeni taking care of this problem, Good work there guys. Now as I said in another post, the easiest way to get rid of Bots, Farmers and Gold Sellers is following the cash trail. Hit the Gold Buyers, when all of those "players" are gone, and the milk ticket is obliterated, all those "companies" selling nothing will just go away.1 -
AlexDougherty✭✭✭✭✭
✭✭
Excellent, next the Gold Sellers (like a Salt Seller but not as useful).ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »They are mythical creatures, much like unicorns, but they are there. Always watching, waiting for the chance to pounce on the soulless, mindless ones.
(Yes, they're real, and yes we do have GMs doing rounds to ban botters.)
Unfortunately people believe in unicorns, if you want a laugh read Julius Caesar's description of one (yes he actually described them, but they are not the Unicorn's people think they know)
People believe what they either want to be true or what they are afraid is true!
Wizard's first rule
Passion rules reason
Wizard's third rule
Mind what people Do, not what they say, for actions betray a lie.
Wizard's fifth rule
Willfully turning aside from the truth is treason to one's self
Wizard's tenth rule0 -
ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »They are mythical creatures, much like unicorns, but they are there. Always watching, waiting for the chance to pounce on the soulless, mindless ones.
(Yes, they're real, and yes we do have GMs doing rounds to ban botters.)
@ZOS_JessicaFolsom ... I hate to sound like this matters SO much to me....
But I swear I am nearly in tears of joy reading this.
PLEASE understand that we true players of the game are nearly desperate at this point to have a decent MMO.
..Many of us have shoveled SO much money into the hands of Blizzard & SoE & the like, we're tired of the run around from them, & most of us started out tired of the 'kiddiekat crowd.'
....We just want a decent world we can game in. & we WILL pay you for the experience. (For the for-seeable future!)Edited by Jim_McMasterub17_ESO on April 25, 2014 2:35PM4 -
Rantog✭✭✭✭Blizzard had various ways they used to catch bots and most importantly, they let the bots run free for a while, so they could figure out how the bots worked, so they could implement changes they broke them from working.
The problem is that you can't learn How they work because -aside from those who simply download a complete script and expect it to work- each bot operator writes their own.
They can script any behavior or action You can perform.
Do you stop and look around every now and then? They can add a stop and camera rotation to the script, and set it to happen at a Random time in a given range.
Do you wave at everyone you meet? Easy to script.
Most bots are bulk script, they come from the same site that sells the software they're running it on, and users post pre-fab scripts to their forums.
This is why you see so many of the teleport-hack harvest bots competing for nodes... they are using the same lists.
But given enough time, and creativity - one could literally write a bot to advertise for group members in zone chat, invite those who respond, and lead them to a dungeon to run it.
What you might Expect a bot to do, is only what they will do if they're Written that way.1 -
KerinKor✭✭✭✭✭
✭
Well they've not pounced on the pathing bot I've been watching for the last 4 hours running round Stormhaven, two reports have failed to kill the bot.ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »They are mythical creatures, much like unicorns, but they are there. Always watching, waiting for the chance to pounce on the soulless, mindless ones.
(Yes, they're real, and yes we do have GMs doing rounds to ban botters.)
And here it is again, running exactly the path its been doing all this time.
Edited by KerinKor on April 25, 2014 2:44PM2 -
Rantog✭✭✭✭
Well they've not pounced on the pathing bot I've been watching for the last 4 hours running round Stormhaven, two reports have failed to kill the bot.ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »They are mythical creatures, much like unicorns, but they are there. Always watching, waiting for the chance to pounce on the soulless, mindless ones.
(Yes, they're real, and yes we do have GMs doing rounds to ban botters.)
The initial report of the GMs was several days ago.
If they are working from oldest-to-newest, most of their early efforts will be in the lower level areas where the tele-hack harvest bots still work.
And if they're taking the Smart course, they're not just working in a sequential way, but are using the IPs of those they ban to prioritize - allowing them to find and ban the SAME bot operators repeatedly.
IP Bans are unreliable, since they can be spoofed - but allowing them to return, and banning them again, and again.. causes the cost of replacement accounts to quickly overrun the income from selling gold - and that bot operator, is Gone.
2 of the dungeons I visited last night had No bots, one of those had no players either
but perhaps this is how it will happen. One day a couple of dungeons are clean. The next, three or four. The next.. a region is clear of harvest bots...
And in a few weeks, we look back and wonder where they all went.
We can hope.3 -
Yankee✭✭✭✭I would suppose they are banning some of them. Probably kill them and look into any protests (or lack of) that are heard from them.
I also think they kill before ban as part of a PR effort and so we can have a little solace and hope. Ironical that it adds entertainment to a game.
That is all good as long as behind the scenes they are working on a more permanent solution.
1 -
Auric_ESO✭✭✭✭
Well they've not pounced on the pathing bot I've been watching for the last 4 hours running round Stormhaven, two reports have failed to kill the bot.ZOS_JessicaFolsom wrote: »They are mythical creatures, much like unicorns, but they are there. Always watching, waiting for the chance to pounce on the soulless, mindless ones.
(Yes, they're real, and yes we do have GMs doing rounds to ban botters.)
And here it is again, running exactly the path its been doing all this time.
Umm. They didn't say the eliminated all bots. Just that they are working. Cut em bit of slack. They probably have 100k tickets to wade through"The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit." Morihei Ueshiba1
