Efreeti controlled by Automated Bot Armies

5 instances and all but 1 camped by automated armies......hrmm….I don't remember that in classic.

https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq/index.php?threads/efreeti-script-bot-crews.257005/

There was automated bots at the ice giants in everfrost yesterday too. At least one pick, two groups of bots.

The Ice Giant farmer, he-who-must-not-be-named (but we all know) is probably harder to ping with botting than the Sol group that was shown on tape in another post. The IG guy has his team of mages, all with earth pets, and (smartly) sends his pets in on 1-second delays to look like it's not automated.

He *is* automating gameplay though, probably with something as low-key as a AHK script to auto target and just mass /assist. All a GM has to do is go in there, KS his camp for like 20 minutes, not receive a flaming tell about KS'ing his group, and it will be clear as day. Earlier this morning I picked off a couple IGs at the front camp and didn't hear a peep.

He does have some kind of audio triggers though linked to his characters taking damage. His group by the entrance started losing pets and after about 4 fights, where his pets died 1 by 1, he finally started taking damage on his mage. Within about 15 seconds, he was back at the keyboard re-summoning pets. I imagine he's "nearby" his PC, but there's a good chance he's not physically at the keyboard 95% of the time. No "boxer" would knowingly let 3 of his or her mage pets die and still engage the next target with only 1 pet.

Anywho - if you're in Everfrost and see a group of mages at the IGs, don't be shy, it's easy to out DPS a bunch of unhasted, un-equipped mage earth pets. I found that roughly (3) large nukes does the trick. Odds are, you won't even get a flaming tell about it either!

Check the thread linked up above. Rest assured a Developer has told us to be patient. A fix is in the works!

Also a 10 page thread in the general area where a Developer told us how overburdened they are with work, and how hard it is to prioritize getting cheaters out of the game.

I feel for the Developers who love this game as the player base. But "Be patient" and telling your customer base that you do not have the appropriate resources to fix a problem that ruins the gaming experience for so many, is a bad sign.

Yeah I just watch netflix n every 6 mins when I hear the ice giant grunt I press the pet attack key on each laptop. I dont really pay much attention to it but I do check it once in a while to resummon pets etc.

Total legit within the rules of the tlp, no cheating no collusion, fake news media

Honestly, I believe that PaulKing is sitting at or near the PC and thus abiding by that portion of the rules...in addition, he probably also has an audio trigger to alert him if he gets a tell from a GM so he can snap to attention and do whatever acrobatic test they make you do these days.

On the other hand, I would also bet that he has one or numerous AHK scripts to facilitate targeting the giants and sending in the pets, probably on about 1 or 2 second loops....otherwise, it would be quite annoying to have to push like 3 or 4 buttons every couple of minutes while holding down 3 different spawns for like 12+ hours. Quite difficult to prove this though.

Things like this though put the rest of us in an awkward spot...I can go in there and snipe 3 or 4 of his giants while he's afk'ing but if he comes back on to check on his PC(s), he can easily out DPS my one or two guys. It's smart, I suppose, to pick a kinda-out-there camp like IGs, but if enough people challenge him, it just might be enough to make him stop...or it might not.

Ah well - thus is life. Make sure you watch the Fyre Festival documentary on Netflix... is funny.

We might as well just ban everyone for "botting" if we think people can't hit 3 or 4 buttons every couple of minutes. Mindlessly grinding camps while barely paying attention and doing other things on the internet is 90% of what you do in EQ.

Lol.

When I saw that be patient all I could think of is how on Saturday we are a third of the way through this expansion. Doesnt being patient mean letting the betters farm for the first half of the expansion cycle until it's been devalued?

I was watching one of pauls friends the other day, said Paul had gotten a 3 day suspension for not responding to a GM tell. If suspension is all they have to worry about, they won't ever stop.

Not excusing anything...

Guilds locked down loot spawns for a long time back in the "good old days".

Just read the oldest posts at Allakhazam about some of the same stuff that causes drama today, though some of them were removed from zone, the game, or changed to quests (jboots).


If a level appropriate group in a guild chooses to sit on a spawn forever and just swap guildies in and out... but leave the rest of the zone up for XPing, and the drop isn't a quest related thing... how strong is the argument that they are "monopolizing content"

Now change the word guild to "EULA and server rule following boxer" --does your answer change?


Not agreeing with anyone locking stuff out for others. Not how I play.

I still think the greater problem is the design of the content. [tradable loots only available from one NPC]

The same magebot team (with the enchanter that is not automated, but his mages are) in rathe has been there since day 3 on mangler... has been reported and petitioned by many, but still doing the macaroni dance.

It wouldn't work for me to be a GM. I'd have way too much fun with these kinds of situations.

I'd just make myself look like Lady Vox, and I would sit behind his bot crew one shotting every giant tht spawns until he finally turns around like 5 hours later, and then I would eat him with a ban.

Considering it is against the EULA to play other peoples' accounts (even though everyone does) and it is impossible for one player to play 24/7 (at least for longer than a day or two stretch), I think the answer does change. If a player wants to sit there as long as he physically can without passing out, at the keyboard and not afking for long stretches, fine. But the need for sleep eventually creates a natural break. The use of automation software prevents that, but not legally.

Easiest fix in the world - make efreeti boots LORE

/thread

Right, because no one in the history of EQ has ever sold loot rights, and that's the only item in classic that sells for anything.

lol

Lol how does that solve anything?

They just throw 1 boot on each box army toon.

Then when those fill up they put em on a new lvl 1 alt.

Not a solution whatsoever. Just slows them down for a couple minutes.

Lore doesn't equal no drop.

Why would you need to sell loot rights?

The Ice Giant camp is not near as detrimental as the several picks of necro bots farming the efreeti camps. This should be addressed asap. There is clearly a monopoly set up and running 24/7 at the efreeti camp of bots. (Not boxes but bots) Just because people see paul's boxes killing ice giants does not mean it is automated nor afk. It is not hard to send 3 mage pets on a giant and watch it die...The efreeti camps are legit being botted though.