Reports and Anti-Bots System

[Boogeyman]

Hello.

I've been reading around the forum so many discussions with complains about bots. However I rarely see some suggestions which can give a good ideas for developers and management teams to adopt and improve the current situation.

Some will say "Lets delete macro loop"
I'm OK with macro loop, but lets be honest, you have to watch out what your char(s) are doing. I use it mostly on my box with support buffs or heal. Never on my DD players. Removing the macro loop won't stop the bots. They use a different type of software, which brings a lot more logical actions and functionalities that macro loop will ever provide. I'm talking about action frequency, type and time-interval, chatting patterns, combat sequence, coordination with other bots, zone tracking and much more. Bots software is more smart that most of you think.

Right now I see only one "report bot" button, who nobody know what's doing and I have a suggestion how to improve by using the real players. Something like civil police in some neighborhoods.

I'm sure that ncsoft development team can use that button for triggering some very hard verification or even impossible to be pass by bots patter and do a human check on the player.

Here is an example:
1. Once some player report another "Player", as it is right now remove one report points from his list and deny the ability to report the same "player" for a day or couple hours.
2. Display some button/object/pattern on random location in the "player" game display, make it visible, but hardly detectable by software or local memory readers. Like a game captcha.
3. Give enough time to player to confirm that is not a bot. Even 10 minutes timeout will be fine for you. Block other players reports to the same "Player" for the next one hour.
4. If the player pass the check - all good.
5. If not, kick the "player" out and give the reporter bonus report points.
6. Notify the reporter and game masters team for the result.

If the "Player" get frequently kicked out by the system and hardly pass any checks, lock the account.

Of course, this is just in my head right now. I'm sure you can do it much more better that my suggestion, but any help from players is better than no help.

I'm sure there are many players that are willing to give blood and sweat to help removing bots. Are you?

The topic is open for other suggestions. I bet there are smart guys around here.

[Gwang]

I have a suggestion. When it detects that a robot is being used, NCSoft should block the account and the computer / hardware being used.

This way no other account can log in to the lineage using the same hardware.

[golemka]

Developers and management doesnt exist. 

Report button was never working.

Antibot system is almost working. 

[Boogeyman]

13 hours ago, Gwang said:

I have a suggestion. When it detects that a robot is being used, NCSoft should block the account and the computer / hardware being used.

This way no other account can log in to the lineage using the same hardware.

Generally, you can't block the player by the hardware he use.
You can block the IP address or the account/character.
Regards.

[Helv]

21 hours ago, Boogeyman said:

Here is an example:
1. Once some player report another "Player", as it is right now remove one report points from his list and deny the ability to report the same "player" for a day or couple hours.
2. Display some button/object/pattern on random location in the "player" game display, make it visible, but hardly detectable by software or local memory readers. Like a game captcha.
3. Give enough time to player to confirm that is not a bot. Even 10 minutes timeout will be fine for you. Block other players reports to the same "Player" for the next one hour.
4. If the player pass the check - all good.
5. If not, kick the "player" out and give the reporter bonus report points.
6. Notify the reporter and game masters team for the result.

This would also be an easy way to get rid of AFK macro farmers occupying spots 24/7, I can imagine people keeping alts at desert quarry and similar heavily occupied spots and doing rounds of reporting all characters that are there everyday just for fun ;p

...but given NC Soft caters to afk macro farm and in future updates expands options to make it even more efficient I don't think it is going to happen.

[Gwang]

5 hours ago, Boogeyman said:

Generally, you can't block the player by the hardware he use.
You can block the IP address or the account/character.
Regards.

Several game producers are using this strategy nowadays. 
"APEX Legends" is one of them. 
I think is a very efficient  strategy.

To block not only one "bot" account, block completely the machine which use bot tools.

This way the discovered cheater never more will login again using the same machine, using a new cheater account, or using his own "not cheater" account.

This police will unencourage cheaters to use their cheater's accounts.

[Boogeyman]

1 hour ago, Gwang said:

Several game producers are using this strategy nowadays. 
"APEX Legends" is one of them. 
I think is a very efficient  strategy.

To block not only one "bot" account, block completely the machine which use bot tools.

This way the discovered cheater never more will login again using the same machine, using a new cheater account, or using his own "not cheater" account.

This police will unencourage cheaters to use their cheater's accounts.

Maybe some companies are trying to use this method, but I can assure you it can be avoided easily.

[Boogeyman]

My idea is not to block people. My idea is to make it very hard or even impossible to use bots in the game. Or afk macro farmers.
Even the simple teleport the "Player" into some zone where he can pass additional check before he gets out of there would be helpful.