The amount of botting in this game is out of control.

Most bot groups I've seen have a cleric who sits outside of combat, and only casts rez when needed - sort of training insurance.

Also, with all the chase items that drop in RoK, they can bot on any server and raise alot of Krono

I said I'd respond to tells (although responses could be delayed if I'm watching tv and not fully paying attention). If you're just sitting there, why do I need to say anything? You're the one entering the area. If you have interest in what I'm doing, speak up. Otherwise, I'll just assume you were thinking of same camp and are now contemplating where to go next or you enjoy watching. If you start pulling my stuff or bringing me adds, I'll get testy with you, yes.

Odds also are, if you're there watching, my four keyboard boxing symphony will pick up and likely start looking more robotic. This time of year I'm lazy. I don't need exp/aa. I'm spending more time chatting in tells/gu or watching tv than pushing the pace. But if someone is in the area, I don't want to make it look like I can't keep up with my camp, so I crank it up. Between assist macros and multibinds (as well as my frantic mashing on four keyboards), it could very well look like things are scripted. I get very methodical when I push.

I'd like all the botters to be banned. There should be zero tolerance. However, I think a lot of people that think they can spot botters really cannot tell the difference between highly efficient boxing and bot scripts. And making assumptions based off of expecting people to acknowledge you is not valid.

I saw some onerous botting during recent game play. I was in a hotzone doing my dailies and a high level character appeared, warped from camp to camp killing everything. Reason I am pretty sure it was a bot was because the clown was ignoring my camp and kill stealing. Of course this also brings up a way to get rid of the worse offenders: Just engage the MOB before them and if their autopilot kill steals, grounds for banning. Remember there is no such thing as a camp from an EQ administration standpoint. It is a courtesy we voluntarily extend to each other. I don't think I want to extend the courtesy to bank of computers running multiple instances of game being run by banned software.

So right there I would know you weren't botting, because you responded to my /tell. Or perhaps you are botting some of your toons, but you are at least playing one of them enough to respond to an attempt to communicate.

So, if I start pulling to the same spot, you would, rightly, become irritated and initiate communication with me. Right there I know you aren't just some bot group. The reason I ask is, on several occasions, I've done this very thing, but only after observing for a few minutes and attempting unsuccessfully to communicate with every member of the AFK bot group. No real player would put up with that, even if he was an inattentive boxer. There would be some sort of response to my social faux pas, either a /tell, an attempt to train me, or (if they were the timid sort) simply abandoning the camp and moving somewhere else.

You use four different computers with four different keyboards for boxing? You, sir, should be an air traffic controller. Seriously, I find that amazing. I've boxed two toons on two different PCs, but that's the limit of my multitasking ability. For three or more toons, I have to do it all on one PC, with one keyboard. But anyway, that's getting off subject.

No, I can definitely tell the difference between a boxer and a group of AFK bots. It's not even remotely hard. A boxer will respond to the things I mentioned earlier. A group of AFK bots won't. Where it might get tricky is if the botter was using automated scripts to control most of his group, but was at least actively playing one toon.

They're very easy to spot. Puller always runs the same directions. Never a pause after a mob dies. Just continuous pulls. A person boxing stops pulling to take a drink, to talk in guild chat, to change the music, etc.

Yeah I broadcast box and had someone who was using m q sends me a tell he is using m q too lol.

I had to spend 5 minutes convincing him I was not using that program to the extent of linking my hotkeys on various chars. I run Warrior, Cleric, Enchanter, Druid, Mage and Wizard so I do not have to move them at a camp or get in melee range when on auto-follow. I have tried boxing 5 melee and cleric and making sure the mob is in the right spot takes almost as much time as just killing it outright with casters.

Exactly.

If you think it's bad on FV, come to Bristlebane and check any EoK zone. I'll bet it's got FV beat.

The most obvious bot I have ever seen, was one that was picking up mushrooms in kaladim(for brewing), it was pretty much just, walk forward, turn 90 degrees, walk forward, turn 90 degrees, walk forward, turn 90 degrees...etc along the mushroom rows with pauses at each mushroom spawn.
The reason why Im sure it was a bot was that he was ignoring me when I asked him when I was done, and when I picked the mushrooms up ahead of him(because he acted so suspiciously) he still walked through the field with those mechanical movements, with pauses at each spawn-point(a real player would have noticed they were already picked up ).

Then there are the less obvious bots(they might just be afk killing with mercs/pets), that hugs the fast-spawning aggressive quest npc's in sarith.

I have seen some suspicious groups in EoK FM too, but Im not really sure those were bots, they did have that weird rythm, "pull to exactly the same spot each time, and every group member attacks in the exact same order"-thing going on...could have just been a boxer...it was weird that he kept the same pace for so long though...

Honestly, the robotic movements are the most tell tail sign. 3 Melee all beginning to move simultaneously to the same side at the same time exactly at 99%!!?! Yeah, that's not obvious..

They are paying customers even if they use kronos. Until we put our money where our mouths are, this is not going to stop. As long as they can have a guy buy 6+ expansions every year and other players continue to play around him it's just good business.

Good luck getting rid of this problem. I'm not holding my breath.

FV is on another level tbh.

Most server's you'll only find minimal folks in Chardok/Lab/Droga. On normal server's the Bot groups are basically confined to FM and occasionally Lceanium. They are there for the Rares and the fast respawning mobs facilitate that.

On FV - it's a slightly different kettle. You'll still have NW FM fort camped full time...but there'll be a bot group in east field Lceanium, Chardok (normally doing shrooms/lower floor) and several in Droga at once. Some of these bot groups are 24+ strong.
FV you are prolly looking at 120+ accounts botting. It is really rife and completely obvious.

And really it's embarrassing to ask on this forum if they botting or boxing.
I think everyone knows the difference and to me the folks trying to defend them are likely the ones that are utilizing those tools and benefiting.

There are plenty of people that are good at telling the difference and people that think they are good at it. I've been accused multiple times and I use no third party software. It's like people that are oblivious to the fact that they suck at playing EQ, They believe what they want to believe. If people are doing things they're not capable of, it's that those people are cheating, not that they suck.

Standing near one's camp and assuming they're a bot group because they don't initiate conversation is not a valid test. Observing a group never sleeps and over synchronized movements is better. Always fighting in the same spot isn't too difficult if you can wedge your tank in a corner to counter push back, so that's not a valid indicator unless they're in an open area (and no mount) and have multiple melee all correcting for push.

Honestly if you cannot recognize a bot group within a few pulls then you're a bit clueless on the subject,

Here's a common example.

The main tank (only) has a mob targeted and for whatever reason during the pull this mob moves away a considerable distance and dangerously close to many other mobs.

Someone boxing will assess the danger and FD or fade to avoid a potentially group wiping train.
Someone botting will relentlessly chase the errant mob with all the misguided enthusiasm of Leeroy Jenkins (sometimes just the tank will chase, sometimes the entire group depending on the script more often than not causing a hilarious wipe).

Only the tank is on a paid account.

You either try to purposely mislead, or you have no clue. No serious bot tank/group will chase a mob like this, and group members will evac/fd when tank dies, too many mobs on xtarg and on other occasions.


In order to identify, pull a mob right through the group in question. In case of bots, the tank will taunt the mob off you as soon as it comes within a certain range of his group.Then you tell him to please not steal your mobs and pull more.
Also a good sign is some botters will identify PCs showing up within a certain range and immediately stop all activity, invis and stand on a pile of corpses waiting for you to leave. Or even evac, if you are known for, well, reasons.
Some will respond to camp checks, tells and otherwise behave smart, it's amazing what can be done when one feeds a good script into this software.
Folks saying one cannot see if it's a boxed crew or bots I say LOL. Poeple saying when they box it may look like bots I say LMAO - you will never be anywhere that effizient as a bot nowadays.

1. ask them if they are botting
then if no response
2. start pulling their mobs
if they dont say anything you are good to go
if they complain then apologize and remind them you did ask first

All those toons payed for EoK if they are killing in EoK was the point I was trying to make.

this thread again....

Agree. Bots play much better than I do!

It's a weekly topic. Someone feels the need to bring up over and over again.