Botting is allowed now?

[insomniac1969]

I find it highly unlikely you reported 1000 people for botting...

[Deleted]

Blizzard has never really cared about bots because hundreds of thousands of people bot WoW.
If they ban all those botters, that's hundreds of thousands of accounts that aren't funneling money into Blizzard HQ - a botter's money is just as good as a ToS-abiding customers' money.

There's a reason they only temporarily suspended all those bot accounts in that massive (I think it was 100k~?) ban wave instead of perma banning.
They care about money more than they do the integrity of a game - case in point, not permanent banning 100k confirmed botters and only giving them temp suspensions.

No. Because bots are often used on hijacked accounts or new accounts with stolen credit cards. Meaning they lose the money in the end. It's in blizzards interest to shut down botters. Just look at the infamous lawsuit against hb creator - would they have spent all that effort if they did not care?

[Chemii]

I got banned for six months for botting.

They care.

[Deleted]

33 people a day? Really? You are writing 33 tickets a day reporting people? Thats what it would take for you to report more than 1,000 bots in a month... I suspect that your desire for attention is inflating your numbers. I also suspect that Blizzard knows more about who are bots than you do. How specifically do know know these are 'bots'? Have you more than circumstantial evidence?

It's one ticket which includes all bot names inside (showed as proof on picture but it was taken down by moderators). It's way over 1000 bots too. Basically I link their armories until I reach post limit, then I add more info to the ticket, so it takes a while to scroll to the end of that ticket. Blizzard replied 2 times to the ticket, mostly saying thanks and that they'll look into it and also forwarding ticket to the hack team. So I guess they appreciate it.
It wasn't boring thing to do, I enjoyed finding out if the character is a bot or human and I added them to the list only if I was 100% sure it's a bot.
It didn't take me a month to report 1000 bots, but just 4-5 days total in one month. I wasn't reporting them all the time.

Sadly also more expensive and clunky.

I'd love to have such work. Blizzard if you need a bot hunter, poke me

[Aggrophobic]

I reported over 1000 individual bots in the last month directly over GM ticket. I get "thanks for report" reply after, but they don't do anything about it.
Every server is full of bots, both factions. Why aren't they banning them?

Examples. Those bots were reported two weeks ago and they are still botting every day:
[MOD SNIP]
"4,993 Xin the Weaponmaster kills (Mogu'shan Palace)".

[MOD SNIP]
"5,814 Taran Zhu redemptions (Shado-Pan Monastery)"

Just look at this guild. Full of bots: [MOD SNIP]

So I guess botting is now passively allowed?



MOD EDIT: Don't name and shame. Report these things to Blizzard.

Blizzard is not really great at going after players that use cheats or bots.
It's the same in all their games.

I know players that have been using bots for years and never even received a warning.
Same with cheats in a few other Blizzard games.

It's annoying but thats what you sign up for when you play Blizzard games.

[Deleted]

As a programmer who did all of the following:
1) Caught and analyzed bots in another MMO as admin.
2) Wrote automatic casting priority for other games where it is allowed (hello, Runes of Magic).
3) Wrote automatic casting priority in Classic when it was allowed by API.
4) Wrote automation stuff in current WoW where it is still allowed by API - see Garrison Mission Manager.

I still DO NOT get why can't they ban them faster. What is there to "study"? All the internal WoW bots - those that run alongside the running game - I heard about over years are pretty much the same - they either break secure Lua execution lockdown by freezing flag or patching function that manages it or hook into some specific WoW internals. What is there to "study" over time? The hooking is same no matter how long you look at it. I don't know if Blizzard grabs this data with alleged Warden, but if they do - they only need one dump, if they don't - then there's just nothing to study at all.

Behavior? Pretty much all bots I've seen are routine based - they're fed list of stuff to do and they do it in circles, like:
register account, activate boost, endlessly run Mogu'shan until account is baned, while sending all earned gold somewhere. It won't change no matter how long you look at them! You've seen it once - you've seen it all. It is EXACTLY why people frustrated about lack of bans - it is not changing and therefore painfully obvious to anybody who sits near entrance and sees hundreds of Level 100 Druids like Adoiusdfhg or Gfsoduiyo pop out for a moment, reset it and run back in.

So, what exactly is there to study?

I liked your post and I agree. I'm sure 1000 mogu'shan runs in the last week is suspicious thing, but even 5000 runs isn't enough to trigger the ban. The highest number I've seen so far was over 9000 mogu'shan runs. He should get Dragon Ball achi for that lol. Most of bots have the same patterns, but not all of them and that sometimes makes them do funny thing like a pack of bots who were stuck at old Dalaran horde side bank. They flew too high and couldn't get it for couple of hours.

I find it highly unlikely you reported 1000 people for botting...

I posted screenshot, but was taken down. Read my other posts.

[Deleted]

It's something inside me that makes me feel like it matters to me. You know, like if I see people torturing dogs and cats, even if they aren't mine, it bothers me that they do that. Not that it would affect my life if I would just let it go, but I kinda want to do something about it. Same with bots.
Based on replies so far I might start botting myself. It's fine I guess.

Comparing someone playing a virtual game to someone who torturtes pets in RL. Yes, something inside you is terrible wrong....

It has effect on my gameplay and yours too.

Its has as much effect on you as the people in the slums of indea to your RL - NONE.

[Eleccybubb]

Blizzard is not really great at going after players that use cheats or bots.
It's the same in all their games.

I know players that have been using bots for years and never even received a warning.
Same with cheats in a few other Blizzard games.

It's annoying but thats what you sign up for when you play Blizzard games.

Oh please. Stop pretending the problem is exclusive to Blizzard games. It really isn't.

[Deleted]

Comparing someone playing a virtual game to someone who torturtes pets in RL. Yes, something inside you is terrible wrong....

Its has as much effect on you as the people in the slums of indea to your RL - NONE.

Never said it was equal comparison. It just simply bothers me because the economy part of the game is getting affected by bots and I want to do something about it. I feel it's a right thing to do.

[Eleccybubb]

Never said it was equal comparison. It just simply bothers me because the economy part of the game is getting affected by bots and I want to do something about it. It feel right thing to do.

And yet players still somehow make gold just fine. Cata had Azshara's Veil, MoP had Ghost Iron and Trillium along with the Alchemy stuff, WoD devalued a bit because everything was so easy to get because Garrison and Legion has Alchemy and Enchanting.

And of course there is the WoW token if you are willing to throw down £15 for over 100k gold.

[Squigglyo]

I reported over 1000 individual bots in the last month directly over GM ticket.

That sounds so tedious... maybe theres a bot for that

[Deleted]

I reported over 1000 individual bots in the last month...

Dont talk nonsense. Unless you have reported 30+ bots a day, your talking rubbish.

And im sorry but you aint come across that many. Why? Because NO ONE has!

[Aflakk47]

I reported over 1000 individual bots in the last month directly over GM ticket. I get "thanks for report" reply after, but they don't do anything about it.
Every server is full of bots, both factions. Why aren't they banning them?

Examples. Those bots were reported two weeks ago and they are still botting every day:
[MOD SNIP]
"4,993 Xin the Weaponmaster kills (Mogu'shan Palace)".

[MOD SNIP]
"5,814 Taran Zhu redemptions (Shado-Pan Monastery)"

Just look at this guild. Full of bots: [MOD SNIP]

So I guess botting is now passively allowed?



MOD EDIT: Don't name and shame. Report these things to Blizzard.

How is a measly 5000 kills conclusive proof to botting? Hell, since WoD that's still less than 6 kills a day, which would be easily done since the instance cap is 10/hour. Hell, I've run Naxx trash runs for frostweave more times than that, sometimes doing 10/hour, 12 hours a day, meaning I could potentially reach your 'bot evidence limit' in under 2 months.

[Deleted]

How is a measly 5000 kills conclusive proof to botting? Hell, since WoD that's still less than 6 kills a day, which would be easily done since the instance cap is 10/hour. Hell, I've run Naxx trash runs for frostweave more times than that, sometimes doing 10/hour, 12 hours a day, meaning I could potentially reach your 'bot evidence limit' in under 2 months.

Go in front of mogu'shan palace and observe their patterns, check armory for kills and you see 5000 mogu'shan clears in last month. It's very common that they are in the same guild, usually 25 of them, all level 100. Whisper them, you wont get a reply back, guarantee.
No, nothing suspicious about that. I'm sure it's legit.

[Eleccybubb]

Go in front of mogu'shan palace and observe their patterns, check armory for kills and you see 5000 mogu'shan clears in last month. It's very common that they are in the same guild, usually 25 of them, all level 100. Whisper them, you wont get a reply back, guarantee.
No, nothing suspicious about that. I'm sure it's legit.

So you are actually stalking them ingame instead of just playing the game?

[Deleted]

And yet players still somehow make gold just fine. Cata had Azshara's Veil, MoP had Ghost Iron and Trillium along with the Alchemy stuff, WoD devalued a bit because everything was so easy to get because Garrison and Legion has Alchemy and Enchanting.

And of course there is the WoW token if you are willing to throw down £15 for over 100k gold.

I'm sure the game would be much different and have deeper meaning and would feel more important to get such items if there wouldn't be as many bots.
Old crafting items would have some value. The whole game would change.

[Aflakk47]

Go in front of mogu'shan palace and observe their patterns, check armory for kills and you see 5000 mogu'shan clears in last month. It's very common that they are in the same guild, usually 25 of them, all level 100. Whisper them, you wont get a reply back, guarantee.
No, nothing suspicious about that. I'm sure it's legit.

So every farming pattern I do? I'll make a raid group in some hidden corner of LFG so I can get green/blue/epic loot pop up to roll for so I can disenchant without having to cast anything or waste time. I'll run a straight pattern through a dungeon, grouping everything then AoE'ing down and looting, then run out. Once outside I'll mount up, vendor greys, reset dungeon and run back in. I won't respond to any random messages I get because I don't know or care about talking to you.

Does this make me a bot then, since I'm acting just like one?

[Deleted]

So every farming pattern I do? I'll make a raid group in some hidden corner of LFG so I can get green/blue/epic loot pop up to roll for so I can disenchant without having to cast anything or waste time. I'll run a straight pattern through a dungeon, grouping everything then AoE'ing down and looting, then run out. Once outside I'll mount up, vendor greys, reset dungeon and run back in. I won't respond to any random messages I get because I don't know or care about talking to you.

Does this make me a bot then, since I'm acting just like one?

Dude... Are you alright?

- - - Updated - - -

So you are actually stalking them ingame instead of just playing the game?

If you mean observing the behavior and learning how bots works, then yes. I'm kinda fascinated by a smart bots who are trying really hard to pretend they are humans. I'm also having laughs at really bad bots like that fishing bot which I interrupted with Savage Snowball and every time I did that it waited exactly 1 minute before starting to fish again.

[Granyala]

Botting is not allowed, however, depending on what you do with it, it might take a long time for Blizzard to ban you.

Friend of mine used a fishing bot and botted LFR while supervising for over a year, nothing ever happened.
Except that his bot played well above any random he met. Always fun to listen to his amusement via skype.


Personally, I find botting idiotic. I don't fancy paying for a game, just to pay some more for a second program that negates the need to play a game I paid for. Umm... if there is sth I dislike in a game: I simply don't do it and live with not having the associated rewards.

[cFortyfive]

Warden isn't always active. Several of the better bots and hacks can tell when warden is scanning and won't even work when it is. And most of the new bots don't inject. The simulate keypresses and read memory, but dont inject. The biggest thing is most of them use click to move and it is very noticeable especially when the botters are running 40/100 accounts on one one system and that slows the background fps and makes the bot slower moving, and very jerky.

So basically similar developments like for csgo hacks. Still shows even more how some good old manual work would go a long way.