My long overdue WoW Confession- Would you get me banned?

[Deleted]

Ive said many times on these forums that there is a very large section of raiders who bot... but nobody beleived me. The Fanboys think its just a bunch of hackers in China who bot but ive known dozens (maybe up to 100) of players who set up botting software on their accounts.

This doesnt surprise me whatsoever and i still believe that the botting issue are far more common among longtime players that Blizzard will ever admit.

[Deleted]

I never minded bots if they kept low profile, like the few bots that go mine and herb in small areas. I do mind bots that mine and herb across the entire game, as it is gamebreaking.

But I never cared much as I never cared for gold or pvp.

[Airwaves]

Ive said many times on these forums that there is a very large section of raiders who bot... but nobody beleived me.

Ok. Over the years I have raided with hundreds of people and TWO botted.

[Deleted]

Ok. Over the years I have raided with hundreds of people and TWO botted.

That you know off.

[Nemah]

Now, of course I'm aware that this all goes against Blizzard's EULA and that although I have spent a lot of money on their product, this does not entitle me to act against their EULA. I dont want to try to "legalize" botting or am attempting to create some kind of resistance or anything.

This is the only important part of your post. Yes. You should be banned. Just because you aren't aware of any "impact" doesn't mean there isn't one. The time and money you've spent on the game are completely irrelevant. You are willfully and consciously violating the ToS, and if I knew who you were I would absolutely try to get you banned.

[jackofwind]

Ok. Over the years I have raided with hundreds of people and TWO botted.

Two that you know of.

[Drithien]

Hm, this is interesting. Normally I would say that you shoud get banned. But I am not certain in your case; provided that you are telling the truth about the absence of influence on the economy that your botting would cause.

To me botting is wrong on the principle that no-one should be handed advances in the game without actually playing it the way it's meant to be played. I don't give a damn about people being bored with levelling, honour-grinding, reagents-gathering, etc. I think that if someone wants the gear, points, gold and so on, he/she should earn it inside the parameters of the game.

However you seem to enjoy the activity of setting up bots and watch them do their thing. And I can't think of anything harmful coming from that, as long as it stays there. It's like the hacks in Street Fighter for example: just having some fun with the game. And there is a gray area. Yes, a company has the right to make certain their game is played exactly as they wish, up to a degree. But on the other hand this is not a serious matter by any means. Just consider the fact that there are lots of games where you can create bots and even entire stages and expansions through modding, legally, with the developers handing you the actual tools. Quake, Half Life, Max Payne, Elder Scrolls: those are just a few examples on games that have thrived because of their modding community.

But then again, we come to the point at hand: in those games the "hackers" had the approval of the developers, even their help. In World of WarCraft there is no consent. Does that mean that you should be banned and shamed? No, I can't say that with certainty. But it is something that is prohibited, so I think that you should stop.

[Deleted]

Ok. Over the years I have raided with hundreds of people and TWO botted.

Maybe i was somehow more 'in the know' or i just knew how to spot guildies play behaviour. Id then bring it up next time we were on vent, i was usually correct.

[endersblade]

As a fellow botter since BC, I've been in that boat lol.

There are basically two types of botters: Those who do it with minimal impact on the game/other players, and those that people come here to complain about. I do my best to not have any impact on other people (I stopped botting BGs loooooong ago), and in fact, do what I can to HELP others. I used to supply blacksmithers and JC'ers with ore, and alchs and scribes with herbs. I had a few friends, and then several people who would buy in C.O.D. bulk through the mail. Nobody cared where it came from, they were just happy to get it cheap :-) I would control how much I sold per day, so I wasn't passing around 100+ stacks of ore or herbs to one person. I NEVER sold anything on the AH, so I didn't affect the prices there.

As far as leveling goes, I don't think I've hand-leveled a character to cap level since early BC. I always find out-of-the-way places, I don't grind on quest mobs or mobs that drop pets or something. Everything I pick up gets vendored, used, or given to people.

I've had three accounts banned for botting, one pre-b.net merge. I lost a spectral tiger that I paid $500 for. Don't care. I still bot, and am actually doing it on three accounts on the other screen as I type this. I really don't give a flip what others think about it. Either you do it, hate it, or just don't care. There certainly ARE bad botters out there, but I'd bet money that most of the non gold-farmer types try to do things smartly, which has little impact on the game itself.

[Todd Duval]

I think you just need to ask yourself, Why? Your computer is playing the game, not you. Don't you think you would have been happier if you had one account, and not having a constant worry about getting banned?

[endersblade]

And the funny thing is. Blizzard read almost every post about wow on these forums. And it's so easy to get someone IP address. After posting this his botting days are now numbered. Dumb ass op lol.

You just think you're so intelligent, don't you? If blizzard did that, I would be banned already. It doesn't work that way, contrary to what your tinfoil hat tells you. As well, there are so, so, so many ways to fudge with your IP address that it's nowhere near as simple as you think it is. So rage on, it fuels my botting :-)

I think you just need to ask yourself, Why? Your computer is playing the game, not you. Don't you think you would have been happier if you had one account, and not having a constant worry about getting banned?

Most (not all) people bot when they aren't home, and actually play when they are. That's how I do it, at least. I love waking up, or coming home from work and seeing all the crap in my bags, or how many levels I've gained. I get far more enjoyment out of that than I probably should lol.

[Verain]

I would love to get you banned on all of your filthy accounts. Bots are the worst thing in WoW.

[Annarion]

In previous expansions, I'd have been annoyed and might call for those specific accounts to be banned, purely on the idea that sucking up available mats like mining reduces my access to them, and influences the economy slightly by increasing the ratio of supply to demand. In MoP, you have to actively not farm to get 1 million ghost iron ore, so realistically I no longer care. Also I have never ever encountered noticeable bots in BGs, LFD, LFR, or even in the world. I can't see how they have this huge reputation when I've literally never noticed.

[Lochton]

If I could, I would get you banned right away.

I have no tolerance for botting. And isn't it against some forum guidelines to discuss matters that are against the rules?

[Deleted]

If you bot in battlegrounds - ban. Outside of them - I don't care, it benefits economy in a way so why not.

[brunnor]

If bots are kept for personal reasons, ie wanting to not have to farm pots/flasks for raids etc, I don't care. If bots are in BGs or are used to control/screw with AH pricing, then ban them. This is strictly for a MMO type game like WoW.

Botting in a game like diablo is almost mandatory at this point I hear. No idea about it really just random reddit about it as I haven't played diablo 3 since I got banned, for botting of course, a year or so ago.

edit - and just encase you are wondering, I've never botting anything in WoW. I care too much about my account to risk it.

[Hoddie]

...

You're so full of shit it's unbelievable. Today you're claiming to be a botter, the other day you said you'd quit the game. I recall seeing you tell someone you were glad they received a suspension for spoiling everyone else's fun. Well, if you're a botter aren't you doing the same?

[Aztrazolo]

And the funny thing is. Blizzard read almost every post about wow on these forums. And it's so easy to get someone IP address. After posting this his botting days are now numbered. Dumb ass op lol.

This just isn't how Blizzard goes about disciplining accounts that bot. Not in any way shape or form. They have to have demonstrable proof that the account is utilizing automation software ( by being able to confirm an automation-type program is running in the system's memory when WoW is up). Without that proof, they just aren't going to close the account because some guy says he was botting on the internet.

As far as the IP goes, they only thing a person's IP address is utilized for by Blizzard is in combination with a few other factors to confirm that the location the account utilizing automation software is one of the accounts known locations. They do not ban by IP. They do not track players down by IP.

[fixall]

OP makes no sense to me.

You claim to sale no items on the ah nor do you trade any items to other characters nor do you sell the gold for monetary profit... So you're literally saying you own (and pay for) several bot accounts and get nothing out of it besides setting up the profile and watching the work? What do you do with the large amount of mats and other items that drop? Vendor (find it hard to believe you just do nothing with the random boe epic drops)? What do you do with the accumulation of gold you gain? Just let it sit there until capped? Why would you need to have (and pay for) multiple bots when there is no end goal? Why not have one bot and just several profiles that could be set up differently? Why not just watch warcraft gameplay instead of your bots?

Meh. Sorry your post just sounds like b.s. to me when you claim to get nothing out of botting.

[Floross]

I very rarely pvp so battleground bots and such I don't particularly care about. I'm generally okay with any kind of bot as long as it doesn't affect server latency/stability aka impact my gaming experience.

My own personal "Botting" experience is back in the day when I played Mu Online I'd use an auto rightmouse clicker near mobs that spawn often since that game was GRINDY!