How to solve botting and afk problems

[draconith1]

I'm sure that this topic has been beat to hell, but now that I'm coming back to full time pvping for the first time since BC I'm wondering how you would solve the botting problem.

Personally I think a good fix for it would be every so often, maybe like once every 5 games players would have to enter a randomly generated phrase similar to what most websites have for registering. It would be a tiny inconvenience for a greater gain.

So what are your thoughts? Good, bad idea? If bad what would you do differently?

Edit: I'm looking for discussion, my idea is flawed I get it. What would YOU do if you were given full creative reign over pvp and you were given the objective to stop botting.

Examples of bad post: HURR DURR, your idea sucks and i'll tell you but won't offer my own idea.

Example of good post: I would make pvp and battlegrounds engaging again, here's how.

[Deleted]

Bad idea, the best fix would be to make it fun. Problem solved, funnily enough people are sick of the same battlegrounds since 2006 with no changes. There is a reason why the whole bot problem has hit a all time high in MOP.

[willtron]

Bad idea, the best fix would be to make it fun. Problem solved, funnily enough people are sick of the same battlegrounds since 2006 with no changes. There is a reason why the whole bot problem has hit a all time high in MOP.

people dont bot because the games not fun - most people bot to either make money or play when they dont have time.

[shise]

You can always write down a code so the bot does it. I don't think there's any possible fix for bots considering that Blizzard is making a lot of money out of them.

One bot > 2 players in terms of money.

Sad but true.

[Deleted]

What a terrible idea, solves no issue since bots will just analyze and automate that like already happens on websites, and legit users are now stuck having to interrupt their gameplay with shitty puzzles.
Are you the guy that decided Sim City should be always online? Because your suggestion is just as bad.

[Ratboy]

The problem with using a Captcha is that you end up screwing over the legitimate users more than the botters (just like DRM). I'm sure the botters would find a way around it or a way to interpret and enter the code faster than a real player. A botter I knew back in TBC would only bot when he was around the computer, he had multiple computers setup in the same area so if that situation they would still be able to enter the code and go back to doing what ever.

There is no real way to stop botters, they will find away around anything Blizzard does to stop them.

[Deleted]

people dont bot because the games not fun - most people bot to either make money or play when they dont have time.

Out of all the players i know, nobody enjoys battlegrounds anymore. And even I bot aswell as other friends (first timers) this expansion because it is so mind numbingly boring. I'm generally surprised by your reply.. you actually think people after 12 seasons of arena/bgs are still having a good time gearing up in BGs? People are sick to death of it, its why since MOP launch there would be literally 35 bots on both sides in AV 24/7. It hasn't been like this before.

Also am i missing something? botting battlegrounds for money? If you mean botting in general, i agree with you. But we are talking about battlegrounds..

[Xzerq]

The problem with using a Captcha is that you end up screwing over the legitimate users more than the botters (just like DRM). I'm sure the botters would find a way around it or a way to interpret and enter the code faster than a real player. A botter I knew back in TBC would only bot when he was around the computer, he had multiple computers setup in the same area so if that situation they would still be able to enter the code and go back to doing what ever.

There is no real way to stop botters, they will find away around anything Blizzard does to stop them.

Sure there arw ways. You enter code into the blizzard side server that makes the bot do something detectible. Something that a player wouldnt ever encounter. You can do this by passing a pixel through or a command. For example a button that can do the same thing as an existing button but is not the same - one that wouldn't usually be macroed. The bot would keep attempting to use his routine but the user would use his button. Button contains the pixel and the user is a player - user doesnt flag the pixel - he is likely automated. It would be easy. Since you can change the pixel or whatever you design to detect as often as you wish and without interruption of gameplpay, it makes the system easy on the user and easy for Blizz.

[draconith1]

What a terrible idea, solves no issue since bots will just analyze and automate that like already happens on websites, and legit users are now stuck having to interrupt their gameplay with shitty puzzles.
Are you the guy that decided Sim City should be always online? Because your suggestion is just as bad.

Right well outside of "YOUR IDEAS ARE BAD AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD." what ideas are you contributing? At least I'm trying to think of a solution. I'm honestly not an expert on the effectiveness of captcha but once again at least I'm thinking. I bet it's really easy to sit there criticizing my idea without offering one of your own, and interrupting? Are you some type of caveman who can't type a simple word in less than 20 seconds? Yeah, that's a real big interruption.

NOT TO MENTION, after looking at your posting history YOU USE BOTS, maybe become part of the solution not the problem.

[rowaasr13]

Inb4 somebody suggest CAPT... oh, wait OP already did. Can you please guess how many thousands times this "idea" was suggested before?

[Deleted]

Out of all the players i know, nobody enjoys battlegrounds anymore. And even I bot aswell as other friends (first timers) this expansion because it is so mind numbingly boring. I'm generally surprised by your reply.. you actually think people after 12 seasons of arena/bgs are still having a good time gearing up in BGs? People are sick to death of it, its why since MOP launch there would be literally 35 bots on both sides in AV 24/7. It hasn't been like this before.

Also am i missing something? botting battlegrounds for money? If you mean botting in general, i agree with you. But we are talking about battlegrounds..

Yet my friends and I still enjoy battlegrounds. Saying you and everyone you know hates something doesn't make it a fact
If they bot BGs and convert the honour to trade goods or brutal pieces to vendor then they're botting for gold.

[slime]

I'm sure that this topic has been beat to hell, but now that I'm coming back to full time pvping for the first time since BC I'm wondering how you would solve the botting problem.

Personally I think a good fix for it would be every so often, maybe like once every 5 games players would have to enter a randomly generated phrase similar to what most websites have for registering. It would be a tiny inconvenience for a greater gain.

So what are your thoughts? Good, bad idea? If bad what would you do differently?

There is an addon I have read about on here called "OQueue" i believe on curse.com that will make sure you only get into groups w/o bots, pre-made. But, on the downside (and I have no idea about this) I believe you will just be getting matched up against the groups with all of the bots and a couple of unlucky pvpers that don't know about the addon... so compition goes to crap.

[Maxilian]

Well i don't know the best way, but i think all GM should (every now and then) check the BG to see who are the bots, and ban them, and with the pass of time there will be less and less bots

[brickerz]

Best way (not easiest) to stop botting is to make the game engaging again.

[Katsuraxde]

best way to stop botting is to constantly apply a small patch all the time to wow that way bots cant connect on the server files since they will always be out of date XD

[draconith1]

Best way (not easiest) to stop botting is to make the game engaging again.

If given full creative reign over pvp, what would you do to accomplish that?

[apepi]

Best way I think would solve it is turning off click to move in pvp.

[Deleted]

Battleground objectives possibly, different for each group and if you succeed you gain bonus honor like take lumbermill and hold for 2minutes or something. Just make it so that if you actually PLAY the game and play it well you should be rewarded. right now there is no difference between players reward wise so barely an incentive.

[Adrim]

I would love bots if the programmers would just program correct objectives in them. It would be nice to have bots that called incs when they spotted enemies capping objectives, or /assisted and blew every cooldown at any healer in range, or spammed aoe if they were in a cluster, or duplicated the moves of someone else the same class.

It would kinda be like multiboxing if I joined a BG and had 3-4 bot DKs following me and copying all my moves. Would be a lot more fun than autorun to the GY and jump which is all the current bots do these days.

[apepi]

I would love bots if the programmers would just program correct objectives in them. It would be nice to have bots that called incs when they spotted enemies capping objectives, or /assisted and blew every cooldown at any healer in range, or spammed aoe if they were in a cluster, or duplicated the moves of someone else the same class.

It would kinda be like multiboxing if I joined a BG and had 3-4 bot DKs following me and copying all my moves. Would be a lot more fun than autorun to the GY and jump which is all the current bots do these days.

They can capture bases in eos and ab, but that is about it.