Was botting really that bad?

[Jarflock]

I learned back in BC that the idea of being either a gatherer or a crafter was a trap. I have alts, therefore I can be both. I also learned that Spending hours jumping up and down in Org or SW paid 0 gold an hour, so when I am chatting with friends in Vent I fly around on my gatherer and stockpile ore and herbs. Then I make them into whatever is selling the best. BOTs are not necessary to successful Jewelcrafting. They simply harm those who gather, and due to the price inelasticity of demand in a limited population environment like WoW hurt the crafter as well.

Doubling the supply of ore doubles the supply of gems, which will drive gem prices down dramatically. This, in an open world , would likely result in doubling the demand for gems, or at least reach some sort of price balance. However, in a closed environment like wow maximum demand is limited. Gems are only useful up to the point where everyone who cares at all has filled all their slots. This is why late in expansions, once most people have fully geared up and gemmed, prices fall to nearly zero. It is also why you as a crafter should dislike BOTs. The difficulty in getting gems is what makes them valuable, while you may like easy access to the raw materials of your profession, in the long run too much ease will lower your profits. Let the market seek out its equilibrium within the rules, we all benefit.

[Shaderas]

Actually ignorance of where your products come from is your responsibility your liable.

Well, except foreign companies can easily lie about the products, and it's not always easy to find out the truth.

[Duncanîdaho]

I loved flying around twilight highlands just chillin and mining some ore, listening to some tunes. But botters made that impossible to do anymore, very happy to see this. Might actually renew my sub. To much botting truly ruins the game for me

[Alcsaar]

What? I'm still botting fine.

I feel bad for anyone that doesn't, honestly. I don't have time to sit and mine for 10 hours a day just to keep all my alts gemmed and enchanted.

You can bitch and moan at me all you want, but at the end of the day I come home from work, and I am able to both go out and mingle and then I can still come home and play a game with out feeling like im working AGAIN. I'll be honest, if it wasn't for botting, I probably wouldn't even be playing anymore.

I already have to deal with a corrupt bullshit economy in real life, I don't need that in a game too. I like to play for fun. Some people like to farm. Thats just how things are.

[Fade to October]

There have been official responses from Blizzard on this issue. The reason botting is bad is because many bots are stolen accounts that 'gold farmers' as you may call them, have hacked and hijacked the account. The hacker then uses the account to farm and exploit terrain even (such as being 'under the world').

[Alcsaar]

There have been official responses from Blizzard on this issue. The reason botting is bad is because many bots are stolen accounts that 'gold farmers' as you may call them, have hacked and hijacked the account. The hacker then uses the account to farm and exploit terrain even (such as being 'under the world').

This is not an issue with botting, this is a gold farming issue. Just because they use bots means very little.

[Fade to October]

This is not an issue with botting, this is a gold farming issue. Just because they use bots means very little.

Well then let me say this. We all know that things in World of Warcraft take time to do; the reason being is because Blizzard wants you to do things that consume time so you continue playing the game. That is why we have flight paths place and not some kind of teleporter or portal to all locations (when it is possible with Gnomish/Goblin technology ie: going to Gnomergan from Booty Bay). When people use bots (that are not farmers), they are not putting in actual time into the game and therefore, may spend less actual play time. While I don't agree with the logic much, that is the logic Blizzard is using. Just my opinion, I'm not really taking a stance on the subject, just saying what I've heard actually c:

[Taftvalue]

You think botting is no longer possible? I know better.

[ccsabathia]

I already have to deal with a corrupt bullshit economy in real life, I don't need that in a game too.

You don't really get it, botting corrupts the wow economy.

[Alcsaar]

You don't really get it, botting corrupts the wow economy.

It ruins the economy for people trying to be successful in a GAME ECONOMY. For those of us who just want to play for fun and enjoyment and don't get that from playing the auction house, its better. I don't have to spend hours farming. Do you realize how expensive inferno rubies would be if botting didn't exist in the current state? Probably 500g or more EACH. I'm not sure about you, but I try to keep my alts gemmed and enchanted. I have 17 85s across two accounts. I don't have the patience to farm enough to pay for all of their gems at that price.

[Arazen]

It ruins the economy for people trying to be successful in a GAME ECONOMY. For those of us who just want to play for fun and enjoyment and don't get that from playing the auction house, its better. I don't have to spend hours farming. Do you realize how expensive inferno rubies would be if botting didn't exist in the current state? Probably 500g or more EACH. I'm not sure about you, but I try to keep my alts gemmed and enchanted. I have 17 85s across two accounts. I don't have the patience to farm enough to pay for all of their gems at that price.

I agree with this. If you really want to make money in this game, you'll hate bots. But to those of us, who mind doing monkey tasks to have their gear up-to-date, bots are a godsend.

What do all of you guys, who like to farm, do with all that gold you acquired? Of what use is it having 200k+ gold? The more gold you stockpile, the higher the prices get, forcing everyone to farm mats/gold. Bots keep prices low, allowing the "lazy" players (it's a sin to log into the game, just to have fun, these days) to afford everything they need.

Just like Alcasaar I do mind having another part-time job along with my full-time job, when I come home.

[Fiana]

Since Blizzard legally had PvPtools shut down the price of obsidian/elementum ore has gone from 30-40g a stack to 150-200g a stack with hardly any supply. Before I could buy 100-200 stacks a day now Im lucky if theres 10 stacks a day for sale. I thought maybe it was my server only so checked a few others and never saw ore under 100g a stack. So now everyone gets to see why the bots were actually good.

1. Price of ore has skyrocketed
2. Price of blue quality gems has as well
3. Price of enchants again went up because of the cost of prospecting tons of ore and crafting/DEing the green gems for the mats

Hope everyone is happy that you cant bot anymore and you all enjoy paying 5 times what you were.

Botting makes curtain aspects of the game useless.

Currently there is no single reason to take gathering profession as your main profession.
Ore is too cheap to farm it. When you have to compete with bots you will always lose.

Gathering materials is one of the important aspects of the MMORPGS. Bots make it completely ineffective.

Every time new character levels up he should be able to get some money by doing simple things. Gathering is perfect way for new character to get used to game, to explore the world and to earn money for his first crafted/boe gear.

[Khuzog]

ITT: WoW Bad Boys and "WELL SORR-EE, I HAVE A LIFE!" archetypes bragging about how they're totally still breaking the rules, daaaaaaaaaawg!

[SilchasRuin]

As a crafter I loved having easy access to an abundant source of cheap ore/herbs that botters provided.

Now actually buying ore/herbs from the auction house is as cut throat as the posting/undercutting when you post items for sale. As soon as one of the few remaining bots posts some cheap ore, it's a mad rush from all the crafters to buy it all out before everyone else. Then there are just about 10-15 stacks of over-priced ore left on AH, probably posted by actual gatherers, that don't get touched at all.

Prices are pretty much set on my server, banning bots hasn't changed it, especially with 1 or 2 still being active. Nobody will buy the expensive ore, because nobody else will pay the increased price on gems needed to offset it.

Basically it's just created a bottle-neck where crafters have to wait for cheap ore to become available, and buy as much of it as possible when it's up.

[Mammoth]

If Blizz decides they want to make mats cheaper again, they simply have to increase the spawn rate of nodes. It is as simple as that.

There is nothing good about bots; they simply punish anyone else gathering that does not bot.

[Emane]

I never understood how people can be happy using this method of making gold, in the time it takes for you to farm that- you know what nevermind.

Bob-forbid that people like to have fun in different ways than yourself. If someone finds it funny to farm ore, then let them? They might not even do it for the gold, they might just do it because they think it's funny and not to make a huge profit.

And for these people that think it's funny, getting rid of the bots was good.

[mrwingtipshoes]

Farming bots never bothered me as long as they weren't in my way, which is rare. I really hate BG/LFR bots.

[WraithZach]

My server desperately needs some botters, especially herbing

As long as Blizzard turns a blind eye to low population servers, we will always NEED the bots to effectively function. Recently, our raid potions supply has completely dried up, and at times there are ~30 of any particular herb on the AH... and for 200g per stack. Often, there are no herbs.

Botters give servers like mine, and there are A LOT of dead servers like this, our only chance at properly functioning.

[KhadajDH]

Botting was pretty horrible for those of us that tried to farm ore. For a while there in Uldum it was near impossible to really make a farming trip worthwhile. You would always be better off farming fish or something then buying the ore with how many botters and hackers were always out in Uldum at any given time.

[Annu]

It ruins the economy for people trying to be successful in a GAME ECONOMY.

This is absolutely wrong. Botting destroys farming as an alternative to taking fully part in the economy. People like me, who buy cheap mats in masses, craft items and flood the auction house make a small fortune with them.

In a world without botting, where the inferno ruby costs let's say 500g (i.e. two times the normal price), the farmer and the crafter will share about the same profit. If both make the same amount of gold, the crafter's profit is 100% of the invested gold. It will be rather less profit for the crafter, but let's stick to that example.

In today's world, I buy the mats incredibly cheap because there are botters providing them in masses. I invest about 50g to craft an inferno ruby that is worth 200g. Hence, the profit is 300% of the invested gold. Then you take all your gold that was multiplied by a factor of 4 and invest it again, and again, and again -> because there is no limited supply.

However, if you make gold the way I do, you have to fully understand the most profitable production method, know what's in demand and what's a slow seller. You further need a whole bunch of add-ons for the listing of all crafted articles in masses.

People who don't want to play the AH game, are intended to have an profitable alternative to that: Farming. In a world with limited supply, mats prices would skyrocket at todays demand and my profit be in normal ranges just like for enchanting scrolls, where I make about 20%. 20% of 1000g is still good for a single sale, but the main part is going to someone else (here, to the guy who won the disenchant roll).

Thanks to you botters who ruin the mats prices, farming takes hours to get the same profits like me. Hence, this alternative is ruined. People are either poor, cheat, or take part in the AH game.