The Unofficial Bot-Alert Thread for ANet - Guild Wars Guru archive powered by Guild Wars Legacy

MSecorsky

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Jun 2005

So Cal

The Sinister Vanguard

Me/

14 Jun 2007 at 15:27 - 1

With all the chat about bots and ANet's response (or apparent lack thereof, depending who you ask), I thought it would be a good idea to post (and maybe sticky?) a thread where the devs can go to see first hand reports from players as to where major bot problems exist.

And, since I started the thread, I'll go first.

Altrumm Ruins - Was there yesterday evening, there is a massive army of Mo/Me bots streaming out of the town. The lack of guilds and names like "-" kind of give them away.

Even the known obvious ones should go here, and let's keep it to one post per town (with updates on a given town being quite fine).

Thanks all, and good hunting.
---------------------
Pity things are derailing, but I'll still try and tally up areas when I can: If you can include the classes of characters that are primarily being used in the area that may help.

Altrumm Ruins - Primarily Mo/Me
Port Sledge
Granite Citadel
Rilohn Refuge - Primarily N/A

Evilsod

Banned

Join Date: Mar 2006

England

Lievs Death Squad [LDS]

14 Jun 2007 at 15:37 - 2

Pretty sure Anet know where the bots are...

And since we can't post IGNs on here its gonna be a short thread.

Patrick Smit

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Nov 2006

NiTe

14 Jun 2007 at 15:54 - 3

Actualy bots arent the problem, its the crooked players mind that buy gold on internet which form the problem. Bots, and their owners just meet the demand.

bhavv

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Sep 2006

14 Jun 2007 at 16:49 - 4

I just looked on ebay purely for any 2nd series skill pins, and all I find is people selling hack + bot guides. Maybe ANET asking EBAY to delete and even ban users selling these guides would be a nice thing to do?

english storm

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Mar 2006

W/Mo

14 Jun 2007 at 17:01 - 5

Port Sledge eng 1, stacked full of them

undeadgun

Forge Runner

Join Date: Nov 2006

US

Its Rainning Fame Hallelujah[伞回伞], also as guild leader

N/

14 Jun 2007 at 17:30 - 6

bots can never be cleaned out from GW, just like the criminals in RL, however it can be reduced by anet to takin some serious action on em, which i havent seen yet.
bhavv's idea is good, but is the same situation the bots in GW, which requier Ebay to do the same to take serious action on those accounts, but u know the bussiness thing, it is hard to ban all of em and make sure they wont appear again

Divinus Stella

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Nov 2005

Wales

Steel Phoenix

14 Jun 2007 at 17:35 - 7

Well after gaile mentioned that reported bots would be banned i spent an hour or so writing down bot names but as usual they were completely ignored, all the same bots are running around still.

ADMIN EDIT: We do not allow the posting of IGN's

Absinth187

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Sep 2005

32??45′26.49″N, 97??19′59.45″W

Some Like It Hot [sake]

14 Jun 2007 at 17:49 - 8

And what exactly is your method of verifying bots from real players who are farming? You're accusing people of botting on an open forum without facts...

cosyfiep

are we there yet?

Join Date: Dec 2005

in a land far far away

guild? I am supposed to have a guild?

Rt/

14 Jun 2007 at 17:57 - 9

JIC anet doesnt know where to find the bots I guess.

Funny as it is.

I was taking my newest monk thru Kryta and got to Bergen Hot Spring, the place was full!! And low and behold it was mostly monks...so I watched a while as they ran to the merchant.....then to the sign post and then slowly inched out the door-----in congaline fashion....It was a hoot to watch!! (I took some screenies, but you would need to watch them in a group to catch it.)

Not sure exactly why there since there isnt much outside, but nontheless they were there, bots!

JIC anet wants to check the area out

Star Gazer

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Nov 2005

Zerohour Enterprises [ZHE]

W/

14 Jun 2007 at 17:57 - 10

exactly lol....::whistles while he waits for mods to edit the iiot posting names

Yanman.be

Banned

Join Date: Dec 2005

Belgium

[ROSE]

A/

14 Jun 2007 at 18:00 - 11

Thanks for putting my IGN in there noob.

Hoyt

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

VA,USA...for now.

14 Jun 2007 at 18:02 - 12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Absinth187

And what exactly is your method of verifying bots from real players who are farming? You're accusing people of botting on an open forum without facts...

This is a good point & has come up before many times.
There are players that play the "lather, rinse and repeat" method & have very methodical pathways and techniques that can easily be mistaken for Bot-tivity (like activity only with Bot).
Now mind you, this is a small, small percentage. AND chances are that you are right on the mark with the ones that you named, however, I am of the school that its better a thousand guilty men go free rather than one innocent man be punished.

The OP has a good idea, but maybe rather than posting the names, just post the time, location and district. That way ANet can send monitor to determine who is and who isn’t.

Echuu Ishtar

Academy Page

Join Date: Apr 2007

Sacred Forge Knights (SFK)

14 Jun 2007 at 18:06 - 13

Gaile said in another thread that they banned about 5600 bot accounts last month. I just wish it was more noticeable

Firebaall

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Sep 2006

14 Jun 2007 at 18:14 - 14

There is no reason Anet can't have a few GMs to clean up the obvious bots. Even 1 single employee would do the trick. It doesn't take much effort to go and sit in the "hot spots", and know which ones are the gold farmer bots.

It's an insult to everyone that plays the game in a legitimate fashion, that they do virtually nothing.

Divinus Stella

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Nov 2005

Wales

Steel Phoenix

15 Jun 2007 at 00:03 - 15

Its pretty obvious, all those were following the same path from spawn>signpost>merchant>signpost>out.

Its common sense really, i didnt just put all monks names on a list.

The most obvious ones are at rilohn refuge, watch the N/A there.

Edgar The Crosseyed

Academy Page

Join Date: Dec 2006

Groningen, The Netherlands

Glob Of Ectospasm [GoE]

E/

15 Jun 2007 at 01:06 - 16

Not to be bitching but i often go " spawn>signpost>merchant>signpost>out " and im not botting ever! Its just easy when farming to use the spacebar to travel around instead of walking a non efficient path!

Better safe then sorry as they say! so take it slow when pointing out bots!

just my 2 cents

klrk

Academy Page

Join Date: Mar 2007

The Space Rangers

W/

15 Jun 2007 at 01:11 - 17

bots' features (in my memories )
randomly named characters (not all but mostly)
no guild mostly
being in the outpost for hours and days
the pattern they walk , they mostly go after the outpost sign and rush out a bit to middle , after some sec then go
or they crash into something , then walk straight out, often they go in same moving patterns

My Green Storage

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Sep 2006

Arizona

My Blue Storage

N/

15 Jun 2007 at 02:00 - 18

I was in Citadel yesterday, saw all of em running of course, and like always, curious about the names ..

What do I see as I hold CTRL?

2 names ... PART of the name had "Aa" and a few feet away another had "Ab"
Same beginning name as well.

I was like, well there's the same person running 2 accounts.

R_Frost

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jan 2006

California

Me/

15 Jun 2007 at 02:32 - 19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patrick Smit

Actualy bots arent the problem, its the crooked players mind that buy gold on internet which form the problem. Bots, and their owners just meet the demand.

they wouldnt be needed if old farming areas that had been nerfed got un-nerfed and a-net undid the loot nerf. the harder it is for the casual player to get gold the more that person might consider buying gold.

Abarra

Academy Page

Join Date: Mar 2006

Australia

Order of the immortal

N/Mo

15 Jun 2007 at 03:00 - 20

well for a start anet could try whispering the characters. Bots won't reply real players will, esp if it's from a GM. If they're afk they won't be moving in the set pattern so will not appear as the conga line bots anyway. I was farming outside bergen yesterday and the place was overflowing with bots. I bet a good proportion of those wouldn't reply to a whisp o_O

Div

I like yumy food!

Join Date: Jan 2006

Where I can eat yumy food

Dead Alley [dR]

Mo/R

15 Jun 2007 at 03:12 - 21

Quote:

Originally Posted by R_Frost

they wouldnt be needed if old farming areas that had been nerfed got un-nerfed and a-net undid the loot nerf. the harder it is for the casual player to get gold the more that person might consider buying gold.

It has nothing to do with any farming nerfs. Some people just aren't willing to go out and farm the stuff themselves, no matter how easy it is.

holababe

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Dec 2006

Goon Squad [LLJK]

Mo/

15 Jun 2007 at 04:40 - 22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Abarra

well for a start anet could try whispering the characters. Bots won't reply real players will, esp if it's from a GM. If they're afk they won't be moving in the set pattern so will not appear as the conga line bots anyway. I was farming outside bergen yesterday and the place was overflowing with bots. I bet a good proportion of those wouldn't reply to a whisp o_O

Not true.
There's one person watching many screens so that they will be able to respond to situations like these.

Sir Green Aluminum

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Dec 2005

15 Jun 2007 at 05:45 - 23

Granite citadel has a few of them. Did anyone try submitting a report and a screenshot with all of them running to the sign?

Patrick Smit

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Nov 2006

NiTe

15 Jun 2007 at 06:20 - 24

Quote:

Originally Posted by bhavv

I just looked on ebay purely for any 2nd series skill pins, and all I find is people selling hack + bot guides. Maybe ANET asking EBAY to delete and even ban users selling these guides would be a nice thing to do?

This should be a normal way of operating on any second hand market (online). Illegal stuff is always removed on request or doubt of legality. I reported many a stolen labtop or request to steal one to buy one cheaply in the end. They always get removed from the marketsite. ANet asking EBAY to remove such things should be ok procedure. If there is no reaction then maybe u should send some lawyers to let them see the seriousness of your company.

You could make agreements on EBAYsending forward sales (to check for ANet) that include anything from GW, all sales are illegal, unless traded for ingame gold or goods.

MrFuzzles

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jun 2007

Norway

D/

15 Jun 2007 at 06:52 - 25

Coming from Lineage 2, I'm all too familiar with this problem.

Bots are automated, but not always unattended. A bot client can be similar to an irc window, where you have several tabs to monitor each character. You can set up alerts to different events like receiving pm's and such. One user can run dozens of bots while doing work in another window or something.

Yes, it's true that if there was no demand for gold, there would be no bots and no gold sellers, but the demand will always be there to some extent, unless you remove inter-player trading alltogether. As long as the game contains goals to achieve, there will be players who are willing to pay dollars to achieve them faster.
The best thing Anet can do is to keep adding 3rd party protection and banning as many bots as they can. The problem starts when they aren't able to ban a bot fast enough for it not to make a profit. I've played several games where bots don't mind getting banned, as the profit (in real world dollars) they make between creation and getting banned is greater than the cost of a new account.

About Anet going to ebay and investigating individual auctions, I'm no expert but I believe the legality of this is up for debate.

All in all I just wanted to point out that the problem exists because there is no easy way to just sweep them away, unless you want to get into conspiracy theories over how the company secretly wants bots because it means they sell more copies.

First post btw, sup all o/

Patrick Smit

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Nov 2006

NiTe

15 Jun 2007 at 08:03 - 26

Why i think it is legal to go against EBAY is the fact that you buy a license, and u do not own anything, so u cant sell something that is not yours, even not the license itself. Cases of Licenses have allready been settled so there is no worry about selling them. The new problem mightr be how to deal with in game goods. I think it should be settled once and for all in courts by game companies, and then crush the market and people who use em. A game is mad eby proffesionals to be entertaining, not to be a source of income, or for third parties to make huge profit on (thereby destroying the economics of the game). If gold selling was not harm ing anything, then ANet could do it herself easiest.

The license is pretty clear on this stuff. And I realize this doesn't mean anything yet, i would like to see that these things become settled in court just to make EBAY and such stop hosting those advertisements. They wont risk their reputation and activities, by something like gold selling. It is just criminal money, and nowadays, every reasonable country has installed laws to monitor incomes, actions, and deposits on legality.

You can't sell what is not yours!

Gawa

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2007

[Oldschool Respect and Honour]

15 Jun 2007 at 10:48 - 27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sir Green Aluminum

Granite citadel has a few of them. Did anyone try submitting a report and a screenshot with all of them running to the sign?

Yep. I have reported about 100 from Granite Citadel and i know someone else who said he reported 500.

I urge everyone to spend 5 mins reporting Bots once a day

IF Anet do act on this (which they say they do and i want to believe them though i guess it may just take a lot of time as i have seen ones i reported previously) then there is no way that the botters can keep up with the community reporting them.