#55 - Nov. 6, 2012, 9:47 p.m.
I'm going to recycle some of a previous post I made awhile ago as it applies here.
11/06/2012 07:03 AMPosted by
Cîd HAHAHAHAHA they will NEEEVER fix it! they couldnt care less they are still paying them monthly. they have had how many years to combat the problem? LOLOLOLOLOL
By that logic law enforcement must not care about crime because it still exists. O.o
It is a ridiculous notion that we would allow an activity to continue simply because it brings in a subscription. We value the integrity of this game and we do everything in our power to protect it. That does not mean a permanent solution to the issue is readily available though. We take what actions we can on verified cases.
Even if you were to think of us only as a business, and not the company of passionate gamers that we are, you should realize that allowing such activities to continue without intervention would only drive people away from the game. If nothing was ever done about such issues that would likely only lead to losing more subscriptions than we would retain by allowing it to continue.
We are acutely aware of these activities and on an individual level we ask that you report those characters that you believe to be botting. Though immediate action may not always be possible, these matters are sent up for investigation and help to deal with more than just the one character you may see.
There's no "fix" for it. They have to take the company supporting the bot to court.
That is an option. Unfortunately, it is not always viable one depending on the circumstances. Even when it is a possibility it can take a lot of time to manage.
We use a combination of preventative measures as well as detection systems to help combat exploitation of this nature. It isn't 100% though, as it these systems generally only detect/prevent those methods that we are aware of. Much like a virus program usually can only block/remove malware that it has a profile on.
There are many methods of detection in place that work to find those using "botting" programs, as well as the activities that indicate possible automation of play. Those accounts are actioned accordingly when found. Sometimes individually and sometimes in a wave.
Please understand that it takes time to figure these exploitative programs out, to develop methods of detection and essentially "break" the program so that it doesn't work with the game or can be found when it is used.
There are many programs out there that do their best to remain undetected. Those who design these programs are admittedly very good at what they do. Such programs also rarely remain the same once found. As soon as we figure one out, they try to figure out how we found it and develop a workaround. It is a constant struggle.
Unfortunately, from an outside perspective it can look like nothing is done, especially given the limited exposure one may have to the ebb and flow of the "botting" cycle. This cycle will often be marked by an increasing numbers of "bots" in Battlegrounds that ramps up over several months. As time goes on, hastened now when properly reported, the ability to detect or break specific programs will be found and many of those accounts will be actioned. After that, matches will once more consist primarily of players who are controlling their own character, for a time. Once the next generation of "botting" methods are developed, it will start over again.
Again, we are very much aware that this has been a major issue for many of you, and we continue to work towards viable solutions to address it. The most effective tool that we have for helping to combat this type of behavior is the reporting system in place. Right click on the character's portrait and report for: Cheating.
While immediate results may not be seen using this feature, the data on those reports is gathered by the system and can be used in the overall investigation.
