Monday, July 13, 2009

This might be a new record -- 3 GM calls within an hour...

First, let me throw this missive I just sent to the Special Task Force on these matters:

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This game, and your “efforts” in cleaning it up, continue to frustrate me.

I was on for a little more than 2 hours this afternoon, and made no less than *THREE* GM calls in that time-frame.

Two were RMT-tells (you STILL haven’t dealt with the core problem -- and that’s GETTING RID OF THESE LEECHES FROM THE GAME ONCE AND FOR ALL).

The first came within 30 seconds of my logging in to the game. This makes me believe that there is also some botting (third-party software) going on with these RMT outfits as well, as they use bots to find out when prospective clients log in to the game.

The second was more normal to the process.

The other GM call came about 15-20 minutes after the first RMT-tell, and I would like to report third-party software usage, but I’m not sure which player or players are doing it.

I recently made an effort to level my White Mage to 38 so I could start a Tele-Taxi -- I quested all five relevant scrolls and the like -- and then I noticed something when I started responding to shouts in Whitegate this afternoon (7/13, about 12:45).

I could not even invite the people, even though I immediately began to /search for the parties the instant I saw the shout seeking the Teleport.

In the time for me to type in the /search command for the player and try to physically invite the player, the player had already been in the process of being invited, in such a time-frame in which it would be _impossible_ to complete this process without the aid of a piece of third-party software.

I do not know who is doing this, but (as was made clear to me in a response to my blog), this is apparently common usage of Tele-Taxis all over Vana’diel, and it needs to stop.

I report third-party software usage with respect to that they can have players asking for Teleports to be already invited in a manner in which it would be impossible to do within the bounds of the Terms of Service. This has apparently been a continuing problem, but I report it with respect to actions in Whitegate on Leviathan server this afternoon between about 12:30 and 2:15 PM PDT.

I also report third-party software usage with respect to these RMT tells, which can seek for prospective clients as they log in to the game.

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Oh, what a day this was, to start off with. I have to log off the game to assist my roommate to her first therapy/splint situation for her finger today, but this was not fun.

I can understand the concept of competition, but I am glad that I went into this knowing that there was the possibility that this conduct (Tele-botting) was going on.

But it seems like every time I log on to the Internet, I feel as if I've been literally dropped on my head in Bizzarro World.

It's like: Can you fuckers even breathe, in this game, without having bots do it for you??

I mean, I'm on not 30 seconds this afternoon, and RMT-tell #1. How do they know I'm here to pull their RMT shit without a bot?

Then I start the Tele-Taxi, and it's clear from the word "Go" that someone is automating the process (as, as I said, someone here warned me about). Basically, all one has to do is to call for a teleport with the Auto-Translate function, and the bots basically take the matter from there, making it impossible to even search for the person to invite legally before the person is already being invited someplace else. And I have it known that this happens with me watching the process cleanly (and at least one person telling me that the gap between shout and invite was "a couple of seconds", and then admitting that the process was, in effect, automated), with no delay between seeing the /shout and starting the /search.

Competition frustrates me, but, as I've said in real life, I can't stop legal competition. If someone could do it legally and beat me out, it's their gil and I can't stop that.

This, however, is not legal -- not at that speed. Not basically with the amount of time the game has to load up not only the search for the player, but then have me invite the player.

So this matter has been both GM'ed AND sent to the Special Task Force. Fuckers.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yeah, the tele bots are insane. And you can tell that people are used to them. You can almost hear them wondering whether you're one if you legitimately pick them up for a tele or retrace.

Adam said...

It's been years since I played but couldn't they just be using "/pcmd add X" to invite people without doing a /search?

ixthyse said...

To be fair to all, yes, there are bots out there, but you also chose the least efficient path in getting clients. A much quicker way is to sit there with /pcmd add in your chat line, and when you see the shout, immediately type in the name of the shouter(make sure to capitalize the first letter) and hit enter.

Anonymous said...

When a pc users name is shown in your chatlog, typing the first few(1-3) letters of their name then hitting tab, arrow up. Their name will be at the bottom of the auto translate menu, complete(great for long name characters). Using this I slam out invites for retraces in record time.

Its really annoying that you call Bot to anything someone else does better then you/others or cause you didn't research the topic better.

Tele bots aren't as common because most if not all, can be scammed with a flint stone in place of the gil.

Theirs maybe one that's intelligent cause it was created by the user or something.

Starcade said...

calintzspo: I can assure you, sir, that, from the clients I have talked to -- they are fully aware that tele-bots exist quite openly, thank you very much. I've talked to multiple such clients out here.

(And I missed a 5K teleport because of responding to you)

isthyse and Adam Re: /pcmd: There is, however, one thing I noticed today: A number of people are already grouped going where they need to go, so pcmd does not necessarily work -- neither does /searching...

eldephia: Yeah -- but that's why I try to vary things up... ;)

ixthyse said...

You /pcmd add the shouter regardless, if that fails because the person is already in a pt, send them a tell asking them if they still need a ride.