Constructive Ideas to stop BOTS

sterbenx2

sterbenx2

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jul 2007

New England

Lunatic Legion

N/

OF course this issue has been beat to death with an ugly stick but, there are ways to cripple bots beyond their ability to just adapt. I have observed Bots in different places in the all 3 campaigns.. from what i've seen, most if not all Bots are 55monks. either Mo/Me or Mo/W. Now, having played a 55 monk myself and done my share bit of farming I understand their strengths and more importantly their weaknesses. That being said, how bout a nerf to the sup runes. You put on 2 sup runes of the same attribute and gain 3 points toward that attribute but still get a -150 health.

Well, fix it so we only get -75 health. so that bring their health up to 130.. now REMOVE the -50 focus from the game. They did it with the axe that allowed two hafts to be applied, why not this item? That would bring their health up to 180. Also equipping a Major rune of an attribute that you are already wearing a sup rune of will not give you the -35 health. The sup dominates. 180 health is much more difficult to survive with the "55" build. Also, do not remove the target item key, instead, do not allow it to work on town signs, this is how the bots calibrate location to move to merchants and such. hang around in altruum or granite citadel and you'll see how they work.

Any more ideas on how to cripple them would be appreciated. Yes, I know nerfing the 55 will prolly get flamed to oblivion but the way I see it, there are tons of solo builds for GW, but all the others thast I have tried would be incredibly difficult for a macro or bot to control effectivly.

Dr Strangelove

Dr Strangelove

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Dec 2005

Wasting away again in Margaritaville

[HOTR]

No, go away.

zwei2stein

zwei2stein

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Jun 2006

Europe

The German Order [GER]

N/

Killing build that is popular amongst botters will not solve problem.

Killing build that is popular amongst players will only cause more problems.

Egro, leave 55hp alone or get actually good ideas.

Marcus Dawn

Pre-Searing Cadet

Join Date: Nov 2005

How about this...stop buying gold for real cash! Supply and Demand...

lyra_song

lyra_song

Hell's Protector

Join Date: Oct 2005

R/Mo

Killing the build will just make the bots choose another build, completely negating your efforts and making players unhappy at the same time.

Molock

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Sep 2006

Qu??bec

Legacy of Angels [Halo]

E/

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marcus Dawn
How about this...stop buying gold for real cash! Supply and Demand...
Haha, I wish people would stop buying gold... however that is very unlikely because people will always be lazy *****.

Snow Bunny

Snow Bunny

Alcoholic From Yale

Join Date: Jul 2007

Strong Foreign Policy [sFp]

I've wished so long now that we could body block in towns. Can you imagine that? ooh it'd be so glorious.

AscalonWarrior

AscalonWarrior

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Apr 2006

Kokkola, Finland

Mo/

I wish people would stop writing bot with caps lock. BOTS

Nah jk. I wish people would stop complaining about bots.

korcan

korcan

noobalicious

Join Date: Jun 2006

the majority of people dislike bots because ANET decides to NERF the game to try and eliminate them.

i find the most recent bot nerf to be amusing. anet decides to introduce lootscaling the same time it introduces hardmode.

go to any major trading outpost and what do you see bots selling? the usual mix of mods and unid golds of course but thanks to hardmode now theyre all selling regular tomes, elite tomes, and lockpicks in massive quantities as well.

im sure the new hardmode drops have equaled out their losses from the lootscaling nerf.

since bots are here to stay, instead of constuctive ideas to stop them, how about we just ask anet to stop continuously nerfing the game in their futile attempt to stop them.

Blackest Rose

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Feb 2006

Do not nerf builds to stop bots!!!!

Just a thought but don't bots actually run back to the entrance of the town to get a determined and known start space in town?

Why don't they make the small change that when you enter the town you're transported to the random "map travel" point instead of right beside the door....

Might be enough to confuse the bots while not affecting the average player at all...

Anyone see a problem with this - of course I don't know how smart the bots are and whether this would confuse them or not.....

Healers Wisper

Healers Wisper

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Apr 2007

Anaheim, CA

BoMB

N/

Best solution - players stop buying gold from ebay or bots altogether and actually play the game and earn their gold.

Good solution - Ban anyone that is proven to be botting

Ok solution - Remove the sign posts lock and randomize Merchant position every 24 hrs

Bad solution - Loot scaleing, Farm nerfing, and anything that directly effects honest people ability to gain money so they feel they are forced to buy Gold to get what they want.

You solution fall into the Bad and ok Solutions, mostly into bad.
SO /unsigned

Muspellsheimr

Muspellsheimr

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Feb 2007

I seriously doubt ArenaNet will do so, but the only way I see of actually getting rid of the bots is to kill their market - and to do so, they will need to sell gold in the online store. This way, people can buy the gold they want without risking a ban, direct transfer to their account, and cheaper than what other sites sell for.

Bryant Again

Bryant Again

Hall Hero

Join Date: Feb 2006

Bots cannot be stopped until you nerf drops *completetly*. Make it so no items drop, ever. That is the only way you can stop them. Until then, as long as they get something out of it - be it 200gp over 2 hours - they will still exist, because botters can't really complain. They just write the program, boot it up, then go watch 300 or something while their bot farms for them. Doing nothing is worth anything.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Strangelove
No, go away.
I forgot to mention how hard this post made me lol.

Agent Mold3r

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jan 2007

Death Legion Of Cantha

W/Rt

worst idea i have ever read in my entire life, just horrible

/NOTSIGNED TO HELL

Muspellsheimr

Muspellsheimr

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Feb 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by Blackest Rose
Do not nerf builds to stop bots!!!!

Just a thought but don't bots actually run back to the entrance of the town to get a determined and known start space in town?

Why don't they make the small change that when you enter the town you're transported to the random "map travel" point instead of right beside the door....

Might be enough to confuse the bots while not affecting the average player at all...

Anyone see a problem with this - of course I don't know how smart the bots are and whether this would confuse them or not.....
Yes, bot's use the sign posts for situating themselves, and some locations already have your idea - beacon's perch, for example. That place constantly pisses me off for exactly that reason, and it would not effect bots in any way.

Atlas Ravens

Atlas Ravens

Ascalonian Squire

Join Date: Feb 2007

Raven Clan [RAVN]

Mo/

There is nothing new in this thread.

Leave the 55's alone.

Please close this thread.

ca_aok

ca_aok

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Sep 2006

Xen of Onslaught

E/Me

I see this post as a thinly veiled "I don't farm with a 55 so people who do should suffer". Seriously, maybe people wouldn't resort to bots if they didn't keep screwing with builds and the economy in general.

TheRaven

TheRaven

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Sep 2006

Virginia

Spirit of Elisha

W/

I agree. This thread should be closed soon. Personally I welcome any constructive ideas to stop bots, but your suggestion isn't an idea to stop bots, it's only a way to stop 55s.

FYI, I see monk bots, ele bots, necro bots and assassin bots in the game on a regular basis. Nerfing the 55 build won't stop bots.

As I see it, there are 2 different types of bots in the game and they need different solutions.
1. Professional gold farming bots owned and operated by the gold farming companies. These aren't just the farming bots, but also the trading bots and bots that just stand around in town waiting for the farming bots to drop stuff off with them.

2. Kiddie cheater bots. These are the bots that you see for sale on Ebay and hacker sites with the sales pitch, "EARN FAST GOLD WHILE YOU SLEEP!!!!!!!!!!! BUY OUR UBER PWNAGE BOTZ NOW!!!!!!! MAKE 100K IN A DAY!!!!" Stupid and lazy gamers buy 'em and set 'em up so they can have lots of leet items with no work.

If you ban bot type #1, the company simply replaces it with another account quickly. If you ban bot type #2, the kid usually comes here and rants about how horrible A-net is before finding another game to play. You need to stop bot type #1 by stopping the gold transactions. Flag accounts seen frequently trading large amounts of gold for nothing in return. Watch the accounts for several weeks and see who their frequent trading partners (farming bots) are and wipe 'em all out with a huge ban hammer at once. Hopefully this is something that will develop a predictable pattern and can be automated to the point where selling gold is unprofitable.

Sir Green Aluminum

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Dec 2005

I agree nerf monks!, but there are some less popular bots like E/A in Riholn refuge or whatever and necros. But those bots are stupid small in number compared to the 55 monks. Lol people here act like 55 monks are the only way to get money, or maybe because it's just an easy way to get money. That's why there's so many flames saying your post sucks, because they use 55.

Masseur

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Dec 2005

Southern California

R/Mo

I think that applying a 2nd superior rune should do nothing, you get no +3 to that magic, and no -75. And obviously 2 runes of the same magic, would only take the higher of the 2 and ignore the other lower one. If they can still make a good farming build/bot that way, good for them. I know the flames are coming, but this is a good idea from an experienced and legitimate player. Just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should be. I think gimmick builds like 55HP anything should be nerfed to hell, just my opinion.

Miral

Miral

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

Hell. AKA Phoenix, AZ

The Gear Trick [GEAR]

W/A

Quote:
Originally Posted by lyra_song
Killing the build will just make the bots choose another build, completely negating your efforts and making players unhappy at the same time.
very true.
also true of PvP abusers, but no one listens to reason in that regard...

best thing to do about bots: remove the need for them. full loot scaling, plus increased drops for everyone, balanced economy with no pools of wealth among select players. loot scaling as is just made bots more desirable, but coupled with increased drops all around, it might actually formulate a complete strategy.

sterbenx2

sterbenx2

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jul 2007

New England

Lunatic Legion

N/

I myself use a 55.. but haven't since the bots have taken over my fav spots to farm. I won't go farm in those places now for fear of being banned for "botting" nerfing the 55 was simply an idea. I'd rather see other ideas for stopping bots. Like the town signs. Body blocking in towns? ? probably work but wow would that be annoying!

zwei2stein

zwei2stein

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Jun 2006

Europe

The German Order [GER]

N/

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheRaven
I agree. This thread should be closed soon. Personally I welcome any constructive ideas to stop bots, but your suggestion isn't an idea to stop bots, it's only a way to stop 55s.

FYI, I see monk bots, ele bots, necro bots and assassin bots in the game on a regular basis. Nerfing the 55 build won't stop bots.

As I see it, there are 2 different types of bots in the game and they need different solutions.
1. Professional gold farming bots owned and operated by the gold farming companies. These aren't just the farming bots, but also the trading bots and bots that just stand around in town waiting for the farming bots to drop stuff off with them.

2. Kiddie cheater bots. These are the bots that you see for sale on Ebay and hacker sites with the sales pitch, "EARN FAST GOLD WHILE YOU SLEEP!!!!!!!!!!! BUY OUR UBER PWNAGE BOTZ NOW!!!!!!! MAKE 100K IN A DAY!!!!" Stupid and lazy gamers buy 'em and set 'em up so they can have lots of leet items with no work.

If you ban bot type #1, the company simply replaces it with another account quickly. If you ban bot type #2, the kid usually comes here and rants about how horrible A-net is before finding another game to play. You need to stop bot type #1 by stopping the gold transactions. Flag accounts seen frequently trading large amounts of gold for nothing in return. Watch the accounts for several weeks and see who their frequent trading partners (farming bots) are and wipe 'em all out with a huge ban hammer at once. Hopefully this is something that will develop a predictable pattern and can be automated to the point where selling gold is unprofitable.
Actually, #2 does not happen. Well, kid gets bot, all right, but about week later, he should discover that his account was cleaned and his hard botting work was added to assets of third party that sellls it on ebay.

Anyone trusting that someone who is creating bots will play by rules with you is living in fantasy world.

--

Reall solution is ban gold buyers, but that would cost anet ... hmm ... most dedicated customers (anyone ebaying gold propably takes game seriously enough to get several accounts with all bells and whistles. Or is rich enough to buy nearly anything without thinking twice about it. Both types make valued customers.)

Nemo the Capitalist

Nemo the Capitalist

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Aug 2006

Trust me you dont want to know my Chasms of Despair

Zaishen Brotherhood

N/Me

IDEA***********


GIVE 100 players throughout the GW NATION GIVe them the power of Game managers (GAIlle GRAY)

SEE GW go to poo with random PM's from a GM saying give me 100k or im banning u :P

FUN TIMES

btw lets make loot farming better no Unique items ever....*sarcasm*
RANT over loot farming

Miral

Miral

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2005

Hell. AKA Phoenix, AZ

The Gear Trick [GEAR]

W/A

Quote:
Originally Posted by zwei2stein
Reall solution is ban gold buyers, but that would cost anet ... hmm ... most dedicated customers (anyone ebaying gold propably takes game seriously enough to get several accounts with all bells and whistles. Or is rich enough to buy nearly anything without thinking twice about it. Both types make valued customers.)
except they probably buy already made accounts that have gold and stuff already heh

Mac Sidewinder

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jun 2007

Nerf a certain build because that is what currently is being used to farm gold? All that would happen is that another build would be used until it got nerfed and so forth. You would then have alot of unhappy customers that see nothing being gained except their builds being torn apart. Nerfing anything won't solve the problem, just creates more problems.

This kind of problem is going to take manpower to combat it. Until Anet can afford to (or decides to) put enough people to physically watch the botters nothing is going to change.

makosi

makosi

Grotto Attendant

Join Date: Mar 2006

"Pre-nerf" is incorrect. It's pre-buff.

Requirement Begins With R [notQ]

Me/

Quote:
Originally Posted by lyra_song
Killing the build will just make the bots choose another build, completely negating your efforts and making players unhappy at the same time.
Exactly. Botters aren't stupid and will simply adapt to something new. The only way of stopping botters is in Anet's hands and they have to take a proactive approach instead of the reactive approach to dealing with bots.

Also, don't purchase gold. No demand means that there's no need to supply then, theoretically, the large-scale botting should end. Never gonna happend though.

Roshi_ikkyu

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Apr 2006

Mo/W

Ok time for some serious facts!

Sardelac Sanitarium: Game Suggestions and Ideas, Stop posting suggestion thread in Riverside!

Nerfing a build won't do anything to stop bots, they will change professions and move on to the next cookie cutter farming build.

Unided seller in 99.99999% of the times aren't bots. Yes the Unid 7=6k spammers aren't bots, there the human overseers of the bots.

Ban people buying gold, and not a friendly 24/48hr ban permaban!

And in some places it will still be cheaper to pay a person to play a game for 8hrs+, and sell the gold, making a profit!

No more bot threads please!

Engel the Fallen

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jun 2005

Mo/Me

Just sell the damn gold through the ANET store, so people who will buy it regardless still support the game, and the bots lose so much cash they go elsewhere.

I feel like this is Bot Wars, and the only people who are fairly balanced are them. The rest of us are just screwed time and time again.

dsnesnintendo

dsnesnintendo

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: Jun 2006

chinese food

N/Mo

Here's my stupid idea

Have all bot heavy areas have new enemies that have

Enchantment, hex, stance removal and knockdown

make it 1 or 2 enemies so no non bots get mad

manitoba1073

manitoba1073

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jan 2006

ManitobaShipyards Refit and Repair Station

(SFC)Star Fleet Command,(TDE)The Daggerfall elite,(SOoM)Secret order of Magi

Best idea yet remove loot scalling the theres no need for bots.

Entreri

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by manitoba1073
Best idea yet remove loot scalling the theres no need for bots.
Yeah, cause no bots existed before loot scaling.... oh wait...

Entreri

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2007

Quote:
Originally Posted by Miral
best thing to do about bots: remove the need for them. full loot scaling, plus increased drops for everyone, balanced economy with no pools of wealth among select players. loot scaling as is just made bots more desirable, but coupled with increased drops all around, it might actually formulate a complete strategy.
They then need to replace ale with vodka then and hard mode becomes Yakov Smirnov mode.

IN SOVIET RUSSIA GOLDS FARM YOU!!!!

CyberMesh0

CyberMesh0

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jul 2005

Charter Vanguard [CV]

N/Me

The problem with bots is that in Anet's efforts to combat them, they have only helped them, every step of the way. Loot scaling took away the casual player's ability to make decent cash. It did not hinder bots in any way, if anything it gave them MORE business because more people say screw it to farming because it just takes all that much longer now.

Rocky Raccoon

Rocky Raccoon

Desert Nomad

Join Date: Jan 2007

Massachusetts, USA

Guardians of the Cosmos

R/Mo

I know this has been said, DON'T BUY GOLD, no market no bots.

ShadowbaneX

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jun 2006

Heroes of the Horn

A/Me

You want a way to nerf bots? Remove the zone sign posts from all towns.

MithranArkanere

MithranArkanere

Underworld Spelunker

Join Date: Nov 2006

wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigo

Heraldos de la Llama Oscura [HLO]

E/

Hehe... killing the 55monk would be nice. I tried 55-type builds and they annoyingly boring to use. Making the 'downsides' of runes and weapons banish in PvE would be a way, since the -75 would not exist.

But the best way to prevent bots it's to add a way to make botting completely worthless without affecting players. And such a change you say would affect players.

There was a suggestion in sardelac about getting a hidden variable that stores the amount of gold you earned everyday, by counting the items you pick from the floor.
After hitting a number, items would stop bing asigned for that character until next day.

Sine a human player can get more than more than 1k from a single drop, but bots will get only less that 500g even from gold items, they'll hit that max much before players, and players would almost never hit that max, unless they farmed non-stop for 9 hours or so.

I was thinking about that suggestion and I think it could work.

If that another suggestion didn't work, another one would have to be thought.
But with the same basis:
- Farming Worthless for bots.
- Farming worthwhile for humans.

Dev121

Dev121

Forge Runner

Join Date: Sep 2005

One Solution:

Dont buy from people that dont speak fluent english.
That stand around in LA 1 and when you ask them for a price they just say 50k ok .....

Jeremy Untouchable

Jeremy Untouchable

Wow Stole my freetime

Join Date: Mar 2006

Arkansas

None

W/E

leave my poor 55 alone, cant even make any money with him anymore anyway.............lol.../not signed

dont feel no pain

dont feel no pain

Forge Runner

Join Date: Sep 2005

Uk,Wales

how bout nerf bots ^^ , anybody who acts in the exact same order for a certain amount on time..... say.... like a bot finder which would find this highly suspicious.....

0.856 seconds from load to storage .....
0.98562 seconds untill leave outpost solo
the above repeated exactly the same 100 times

BOT ALERT!!!! BOT ALERT!!!! DELETE!!! DELETE!!! DELETE!!!!!!
(*_*) <--- bot finder