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An idea to *minimize* the ADVERT BOTS PROBLEM :)

WyldeRyderWyldeRyder
Reactions: 1,120
Posts: 34
Member
edited December 2017 in Suggestions, Feedback, and Requests
So, I was just doing the usual ~6-hourly task of adding the three bots in FM entrance to black list. Getting mad, since one of them adds, but the chat still shows up in general. But I've been thinking:

From what I know, GM's come around and ban those suckas once in a while. We shouldn't do this! They get a 100% clear situation that it's time to re-make a bot account. Soooo, instead of kick/banning them, how about just muting them completely. No speech bubble, nothing to status window FOR OTHER PLAYERS. However (and this is the most important part): make sure that the bots still receive their own chats as normal. Same packets, same everything. Not a single thing should change from the bots' perspectives.

Why? Well, that way they will keep standing there, writing their spam as it falls unto deaf ears. Now, I realize that the spammer can use a separate account to check manually if the chats are still going through, BUT this will break their full automation and make things way harder for them. At the very least, this should make their cancerous respawns less frequent and dissuade them from botting as it becomes more and more tedious.

Edit:
Also, to clarify: I put a severe emphasis on packets because the botters can use packet sniffing to detect if they had been muted. As you all know (or should know), packet sniffing is completely undetectable, since it doesn't have to operate on the client's computer. It can be set up on the router itself... or their game client runs inside a VM or some other sort of sandbox -,-

Comments

  • JushiroNetJushiroNet
    Reactions: 6,160
    Posts: 748
    Member, Private Tester
    edited December 2017
    I often wondered if this sort of solution would work as well for combating elite botters.

    For example, a GM finds a blaze wizard bot and flags them to be unable to trade. They continue botting and unfortunately this means they're still occupying maps but then when they go to retrieve all their ill gotten gains they cannot be moved. They've wasted time and resources without knowing until they check.

    But then again, maybe they'd just seek to collect from their bots more often to combat this combat method. Still, it might be worth thinking about innovative ways to reduce/stymie botters.
    WyldeRyder
  • WyldeRyderWyldeRyder
    Reactions: 1,120
    Posts: 34
    Member
    edited December 2017
    Mark untradable! That's good. Just like the chat bot solution but for grind bots. Sure, they will still occupy the map sometime until it's time to dump the items/meso, but I think that it would definitely make the botters' lives harder. I mean, it's a business. I can already imagine that they are barely get much revenue from doing this, but if all of these clever tactics could be combined, maybe more and more of those botters would leave to seek different MMOs to niche off of.

    I'm all for this. It wouldn't take more work on the GMs' parts. Just a different action other than simply banning.