@Vashzaron said in THE FIGHT AGAINST BOTS:

@Ranmaru said in THE FIGHT AGAINST BOTS:

I didn't know people actually bought from these. Either way, I just report them and mute them.

If there was no customers they would not be here.

Honestly, Could one be called a customer when someone , Or even something get's all in your face to buy something? I completely doubt that would be the case.

@SleeprunnerInc said in THE FIGHT AGAINST BOTS:

@Viola-Lance Here's a very easy and simple way to get rid of Bots for the most part.

Make it mandatory to complete episode 1 and level to X level before being able to use public chat.

Or just pass a captcha each time you login.

A captcha might work, but an IP plus hardware ban forces these RMT/ to spend real world money to buy new equipment/forced to a new physical location. Although, we labeled them as bots, but mostly, there are real humans actually controlling them spamming easily made chat macros on stolen accounts (there is a video about it, dont remeber what it was named, showdd inner workings of a Chinese RMT group) which may already meet many the requirements you detailed as well.

https://nosygamer.blogspot.com/2014/01/a-blizzard-of-tears-botters-banned-in.html?m=1

Not hard for companies like Sega, SE, Blizzard and many others to ip and hardware ban RMTers and Buyers, as well it offers faster results, and more reliable than using warden based protection which works in ban waves.

I am all for punishment, but silly things like complete x to chat, or do y to chat is silly. Make examples of sellers and buyers. No middle ground or pussyfooting around it. Hard and direct.

@Vashzaron said in THE FIGHT AGAINST BOTS:

@Ranmaru said in THE FIGHT AGAINST BOTS:

I didn't know people actually bought from these. Either way, I just report them and mute them.

If there was no customers they would not be here.

I just thought it was a scam almost no one bought into. (Like gold sellers in Yugioh Duel Links)

@SleeprunnerInc said in THE FIGHT AGAINST BOTS:

@Viola-Lance Here's a very easy and simple way to get rid of Bots for the most part.

Make it mandatory to complete episode 1 and level to X level before being able to use public chat.

Or just pass a captcha each time you login.

Requiring a new player to complete all of Episode 1 just to be able to use basic chat functions in an MMORPG probably wouldn't be the best option to go in trying to quell the bots running around.

A Captcha would likely be a better option, or requiring a new player to complete Chapter 1 of Episode 1 before they can access the lobby, which would be a far less grandoise undertaking as requiring a new player to complete the entirity of Episode 1 before they can so much as chat in public.

Or better yet, Something similar to captcha? Perhaps somewhere in the lines of a Primary password and to make it even more secure a Secondary password.

I agree with a captcha, JP does this as well.

Please, no captcha requirements, bots already have ways to deal with those and they just serve to annoy legitimate consumers. I've gone through an mmo in the past that dropped captcha during actual playtime and all it did was piss off players, it hardly stopped bots at all. IP ban+hardware isn't going to work either because of VPN workarounds.

As stated in another thread, player ran chat filter is a decent way to block the spamming. It's worked for other mmos that allow it.

I already suggested to Sega to use a server script to catch those keywords and when it flags something, have it contact a GM to investigate and it needs to be done within 60 seconds. Or least have the server save the last 120 seconds of chat into a log for the GM to look at, which includes every player and their id. Also have a tool to filter this log and enable the GM to ban whoever is spamming the RMT garbage. Heck even an AI could do this.

@Zeara That confirms that the level 41 spam bot is an account from someone who went and bought meseta...

I've checked some of these bot accounts and found out that alot of them are actual players too who have utilized these shops and lost their account control lol.

@Viola-Lance Except a middle ground is a good way to not overwork the reporting system and also help out weed trolls that may or may not stick to the game.

Alot of people get in to a game and then just spam profanities or be douches without actually leveling etc.

This way they would actually have to invest a small bit of time to be able to troll and so on.

IT also helps people focus on things and get through what is literally a base ground for the story and earn some SG etc at the same time.

@Blade-Syphon It's actually a pretty successfull tactic in quelling a lot of problems.

Black desert online for example does it and it's very helpful.

You rarely if ever see a RMT bot there in all honesty.

It's a good system which should be utilized more in MMORPG's just so you don't get the RMT issue in the first place or atleast get a much more easier to get rid of problem.

@Mero It's a one time captcha each time you login.

Same as Japan and it works.

So far haven't seen a RMT seller since 2016.

@Richardaro Unfortunately that can lead to a situation where the system gets flooded with flags by script kiddies and gets overloaded and overworks the GM's who are humans.

Not only that, if it was fully automated, we would get legitimate players banned for false flags.

China is blocked in PSO2JP, and coincidentally meseta sellers/RMT bots spamming has never been an issue there (since it was implemented?).

@Blackichan08 said in THE FIGHT AGAINST BOTS:

@SleeprunnerInc said in THE FIGHT AGAINST BOTS:

@Viola-Lance Here's a very easy and simple way to get rid of Bots for the most part.

Make it mandatory to complete episode 1 and level to X level before being able to use public chat.

Or just pass a captcha each time you login.

clear all of epsiode 1

would that even work? i mean...dont bots do "bots things" (as in making a script wich the bot follows) so just writing a script to "bot episode 1" will fix that "issues for them"?

I agree, they really need to do something about the bots. It's a joke right now. Obviously the JP team has done something right if bots get permabanned on sight on JP. Something's missing on NA.

@SolFeace said in THE FIGHT AGAINST BOTS:

I agree, they really need to do something about the bots.

Terminator series for the next crossover evidently.. ahah.

I guess the first step would be the GM's on here actually acknowledging there is an issue with the bots. Then perhaps if we're lucky, we'll get a "We are looking into ways to remove them from the equation."

Otherwise, enjoy your flooded chat lobbies where your only recourse is to block them or just change blocks/lobbies to avoid them. Pretty sad this has gone on for so long now with no action taken.

@Qwid1339 said in THE FIGHT AGAINST BOTS:

I guess the first step would be the GM's on here actually acknowledging there is an issue with the bots. Then perhaps if we're lucky, we'll get a "We are looking into ways to remove them from the equation."

Otherwise, enjoy your flooded chat lobbies where your only recourse is to block them or just change blocks/lobbies to avoid them. Pretty sad this has gone on for so long now with no action taken.

I don't think that they need to acknowledge the fact that there is an issue, I am pretty sure that they have a list that is a mile long of all the reports and complaints of all these bots.