Does Blizzard actually do anything against botters?

[dalliah1]

I know there's the occasional banwave but for example. About a month ago, I reported this guy that was in deepholm, killing the same mob, using the same exact spell pattern, nonstop. Up to this day, he still plays (checked on the armory) Now, I was just in a level 85-89 battleground. A 15 minute bg, two bots, both 0 damage, 0 heals, 0 kb's, do nothing but mount and run around and let themselves get attacked. I reported both of them but I somehow doubt immediate measures will be taken O_o... Botters ruin any chances of winning a battleground or at least make the chances very slim.

[Pebrocks The Warlock]

Blizzard has and is still working on ways to fight botters, but it isn't that easy as you might think. Each time they fix a way people bot, another program comes up.

[Fudruker]

last time i checked about a month ago they stopped all /follow bots in bg's did you hear about that one ?

[philefluxx]

Just because you report someone as a bot does not mean they take your word for it and ban the account. There is a long process involved when it comes to banning an account for botting. You also need to keep in mind not everyone that likes to use botting software is afk.

Back in the old Glider days I knew many people who were always at the keyboard ready for a GM to send a tell or teleport. Hell, they even wrote in alarms for when players got within a proximity of you so you could respond accordingly.

[dalliah1]

Blizzard has and is still working on ways to fight botters, but it isn't that easy as you might think. Each time they fix a way people bot, another program comes up.

Right but permanently banning accounts would be a good step in the right direction. When someone has 0 damage and 0 healing in a battleground, it should be a red flag and therefore terminate that account, no? No matter what your gear, your playstyle is. It's pretty much impossible to do 0 of anything in a battleground. I also tried whispering the players with no response. I would think that would be enough for a termination

[Evil Inside]

Take it from me, they do..

[dalliah1]

Just because you report someone as a bot does not mean they take your word for it and ban the account. There is a long process involved when it comes to banning an account for botting. You also need to keep in mind not everyone that likes to use botting software is afk.

Back in the old Glider days I knew many people who were always at the keyboard ready for a GM to send a tell or teleport. Hell, they even wrote in alarms for when players got within a proximity of you so you could respond accordingly.

^ Read above post. They should have a small record of combat logs

[Pebrocks The Warlock]

Right but permanently banning accounts would be a good step in the right direction. When someone has 0 damage and 0 healing in a battleground, it should be a red flag and therefore terminate that account, no? No matter what your gear, your playstyle is. It's pretty much impossible to do 0 of anything in a battleground. I also tried whispering the players with no response. I would think that would be enough for a termination

So say a player join a battleground and it ends 2 seconds later. That player has 0 damage and 0 healing and is automated banned. Do you honestly think that's a good idea? When I first started playing, I didn't know much about how to play and stayed at the stables. At no point did I see any Horde and when the game ended I was 0 damage and 0 healing. Should I have been perma banned?

[Deleted]

there are no banwaves, these waves are a myth produced by blizzard - why would they kill their own cashcow?...

[dalliah1]

So say a player join a battleground and it ends 2 seconds later. That player has 0 damage and 0 healing and is automated banned. Do you honestly think that's a good idea? When I first started playing, I didn't know much about how to play and stayed at the stables. At no point did I see any Horde and when the game ended I was 0 damage and 0 healing. Should I have been perma banned?

They most likely have a way to see those things, if you just joined and whatnot. These 2 players were in there from start to finish. There's a difference so your example is irrelevant :S

[Pebrocks The Warlock]

They most likely have a way to see those things, if you just joined and whatnot. These 2 players were in there from start to finish. There's a difference so your example is irrelevant :S

But you want to put in a system that bans anyone who has 0 damage and 0 healing. How is that system going to know what that player started?

---------- Post added 2013-04-08 at 07:59 PM ----------

there are no banwaves, these waves are a myth produced by blizzard - why would they kill their own cashcow?...

So all those people who cried on the forums after being banned because of the Archeology bot were all payed by Blizzard to complain?

[philefluxx]

Right but permanently banning accounts would be a good step in the right direction. When someone has 0 damage and 0 healing in a battleground, it should be a red flag and therefore terminate that account, no? No matter what your gear, your playstyle is. It's pretty much impossible to do 0 of anything in a battleground. I also tried whispering the players with no response. I would think that would be enough for a termination

Im sure that is all taken into consideration when they are investigating the claim. However, not all bots are used in BG's. Many bots will kill NPC's, they will even attack players. Botting programs were highly intuitive back when I payed attention, I couldnt even imagine what they can do now. Id be surprised if they not running dungeons now.

there are no banwaves, these waves are a myth produced by blizzard - why would they kill their own cashcow?...

The banned account holders on various bot sites would like to have a word with you.

[Yuyuli]

there are no banwaves, these waves are a myth produced by blizzard - why would they kill their own cashcow?...

Blizzard doesn't announce banwaves, it's a good amount of people reporting being banned at the same time proving the banwave.

[kingriku]

Right but permanently banning accounts would be a good step in the right direction. When someone has 0 damage and 0 healing in a battleground, it should be a red flag and therefore terminate that account, no? No matter what your gear, your playstyle is. It's pretty much impossible to do 0 of anything in a battleground. I also tried whispering the players with no response. I would think that would be enough for a termination

Sorry to break it to you but PVP bots are pretty good, more than not they are better than regular players.

---------- Post added 2013-04-08 at 08:02 PM ----------

Im sure that is all taken into consideration when they are investigating the claim. However, not all bots are used in BG's. Many bots will kill NPC's, they will even attack players. Botting programs were highly intuitive back when I payed attention, I couldnt even imagine what they can do now. Id be surprised if they not running dungeons now.



The banned account holders on various bot sites would like to have a word with you.

They were running dungeons back in cata, ive heard they are running lfr now.

[namelessone]

there are no banwaves, these waves are a myth produced by blizzard - why would they kill their own cashcow?...

Because they loose more accounts to quits over botting issue than they would lose by banning bots.

[ringpriest]

It doesn't appear that Blizzard does very much to combat botters. The occasional egregious botter may get banned and easy (aka. cheap) to fix bot-able exploits removed, but in general Blizz doesn't seem to give a damn about botters. The only "banwave" in the last three years was for one screamingly obvious archaeology-bot. And that was back in what, 2011?

[Deleted]

I could show you something really funny but it involves linking someone's armory and I'm not sure if there's a naming and shaming policy here on these forums. If there's not, I'll happily link it. It's actually a bit shocking.

[cherb]

But you want to put in a system that bans anyone who has 0 damage and 0 healing. How is that system going to know what that player started?[COLOR="red"]

I'd think the system would know by putting something in to decide if the player just joined or not? Are you really that thick to think that something like that wasn't part of the guys plan?

[kingriku]

It doesn't appear that Blizzard does very much to combat botters. The occasional egregious botter may get banned and easy (aka. cheap) to fix bot-able exploits removed, but in general Blizz doesn't seem to give a damn about botters. The only "banwave" in the last three years was for one screamingly obvious archaeology-bot. And that was back in what, 2011?

They don't announce the banwaves but they happen and botter get banned individually all the time, it just matters how smart the botter is. If they leave their bot on for 30 hours+ its gets flagged and banned almost instantly but it again matters how smart the botter is and can weasle his way out of it with the GM. (Source: One of my Best friends IRL used to bot alot)

[kritisk]

I love the whole "they do nothing" because they don't announce it in waves as they have done in the past. They ban quite a few accounts as a result of the reports they get. The problem is, most people can't take the time to right click. I've been in BGs and Instances where people can't be bothered to make a simple right click; yet, they find ample time to bitch and moan about things.

Just recently we had a guildmate that we kicked because he was botting and had admitted such. It took time but with enough right clicking he has been removed from the game and from what he's said the appeals are over and he is without account. So keep up the clicking if you care about it. It takes a while but normally ,if they are botting/cheating, it will happen.