Regards to everyone! I will try to be as organized as I can with this. Before comment, take a minute to read a bit about this:
Warpportal EULA - Ragnarok Policy about 3rd party Program - aka bots.
Many of these toughts come from long time ago, and I am sure some community members will agree with this.
The problem
Items
Since I have memory, Warpportal has zero tolerance with 3rd party programs (bots in the following). What might count as benefit, can be harmful for others. Veteran players/Rich Players got benefits from this problem, we can get good cards/consumables and some ETC items at a good price. For a new player, taking IE an hydra card, then realized it just worth around 2mil, is not even enough to get a good weapon for its character.New players got low income from their items due to bot players.
Leveling
Is not equiality the fact a player must pass over X hours to level up, while others just leave the bot running. Is is not right, and this also apply to all the bots leveling their homunculus. Only a player who really raise a homunculu from 0 know the days it must pass to make it loyal, evolve, make it loyal again, raise up to Lv99, making Homun S and loyal it again. The time must be spend to get the homunculus AoE, and a single night AFK drop work of 4 or 5 days in intimacy.
The Market
Its widely know many of the merchats at Prontera/Payon are bots. In the mind of a botter, it simplify the work to set a shop. Again this is not equal to everyone, who must set their own shop, it takes time. Unestable connection drops your shop and must setup again. This is the only point where a bot might help, but stills against the rules and it must be pursuet and reported. would be double moral to say it is right, it isnt.
Economy
Its a fact, Botters get zeny from it. It helps the inflation we are getting in the server (is not the only factor, that's other topic). Many millions come from the botters, and solve the bot problem might help a bit, just a bit in this other proble. For players who do not bot, we must face the fact we must do instances or other kind of activities to earn zeny. Farming low-level items do not worth the time, since bots can farm it in huge quantities, a player can not compete against that. (described on Items problem.)
I am sure there are more problems coming from bots, but I am trying to get it to the point. Then, known all this, What is the WarpPortal Policy and rules against this?
WP Policy
As described before, they talk something about this in the EULA 14 bis A:
In short words, they are able to terminate your account (in short words, they can ban you for this). I am sure there are more sections where they talk about it, and some GMs has noted they have zero tolerance, but this point its just about this.
Community Side Help.
Players Side
Then, we, the players can do something?
Yes! we can, there are some things we can do to report this behavior. There are two main paths:
- The forum: There are a section where you can report the bot problem, in my opinion this is focus to entire maps instead a single player. You can view this thread. In my opinion this is in the wrong section (Community Chat > Community Contest and Events), must be in the same as Ragnarok:Restart section (under Technical Support). The format to use its described in the OP.
- Ticket System: ... (Heavy Breath). This option its mostly for single player report, as noted on the FAQ. They suggest to take a good screenshot and record about the player in this behavior, and they will do their best effort to do something against this.
So far, this is the only thing a player can do, following the paths WP has set.
WarpPortal Side:
On the other side, we have what does Warp Portal do with our evidence, the material we have got. We can only hope they will do their best effort to review the data we have been collected, and take proper actions if the guilty is proven. But, as many of us known, Unfortunately, they can not disclose any information due to confidentiality purposes and this kind of information is consider as a company intellectual property. (or something like that, you know the whole text)
Now, we have seen a bot, we record it and take some screenshots, send it to Warpportal and then what?
Elapse Time Aprox (ETA)
Now that we have reported the player we suspect is a bot, what are the ETAs to see any action?
This is something a player can not answer, But in the words of some GMs, it takes time to track down the player and do proper test. In my opinion, it may varies depends on the GM who respond to your ticket. I have some tickets open, and it has pass a whole week and I see the same bot doing the same thing. I will try to start achieve a record of all my tickets and time of resolution. But thats all a player can do.
Resolutions.
We can not know the resolutions, but if we saw the same player after your ticket become closed, you can assume the resolution.
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I have escalate my concerns about this many times with no good responses, but still I assume they are doing something. After many reports, I think i will stop doing this, I do not get the point of Warpportal to ask for evidence, if they will discard it and will track down the player to see by their own eyes. And it probably wont solve the problem, there are some "smart" bots wich appearantly its hard for GMs to difference.
The second thing I can suggest, its to retake the Airstrike Threat actively, and put even more effort to this. The Oda Initiative on Tiki Tuesdays was good, Oda used to take the time to track down bots and ban them, and he did it while streaming. I do now known why they stop it and no one take the Oda's job on it.
I have to recognize WP do a exellent job on the Instance/Map Stuck thread, and see a similar job on the Airstrike thread would be good.
Is not necesary to mention all the hot spot full of bots on iRO, I am sure they are noted on the Airstrike thread.
What is your experience on WP Ticket System about Bot reports? do you guys do it? Am I the only player who still do this?
EDIT:
I almost forget this. Campitor mention something about anti-cheat system on 2017 plans:
I would like to see this coming true, and IDK if it might stop the bot flow.
Edited by S207, 26 March 2018 - 11:22 AM.