Programming Ideas to Stop Bots.

[TeckXKnight]

Could work if by doing nothing else besides slowing down macros. You'd just need to set it to an unreasonably long string of identical actions. Won't stop anyone with randomness in their code (cause that's so hard to do amirite) but it would dissuade fledgling botters and most basic scripts currently out. If nothing else it makes it harder.

It could work on a scaling temp ban. If you repeat an action 200 times in a row exactly every 5 seconds then you get a ban for 5minutes^(Number of bans). So 5 minute for the first ban, 25 for the second, 125 for the third, etc. until you've essentially locked your account by running it unmanned.

Definitely not a big solution or an end all one but not one that's inherently flawed besides just being mostly ineffectual.

[inventer110]

Could work if by doing nothing else besides slowing down macros. You'd just need to set it to an unreasonably long string of identical actions. Won't stop anyone with randomness in their code (cause that's so hard to do amirite) but it would dissuade fledgling botters and most basic scripts currently out. If nothing else it makes it harder.

It could work on a scaling temp ban. If you repeat an action 200 times in a row exactly every 5 seconds then you get a ban for 5minutes^(Number of bans). So 5 minute for the first ban, 25 for the second, 125 for the third, etc. until you've essentially locked your account by running it unmanned.

Definitely not a big solution or an end all one but not one that's inherently flawed besides just being mostly ineffectual.

I love the scaling ban idea. and botting is inevitable the trick is to either allow it or make it so only a small few people are even marginally capable.

[spectacle]

It only takes one person to program at bot that evades the bot-detection algorithm and decide to spread it to the entire player base.
The only real solution to bot problems is to design gameplay that can't be botted, as a bonus that also means gameplay that isn't repetitive and grindy

[TeckXKnight]

It only takes one person to program at bot that evades the bot-detection algorithm and decide to spread it to the entire player base.
The only real solution to bot problems is to design gameplay that can't be botted, as a bonus that also means gameplay that isn't repetitive and grindy :)

Well yes but we don't need to make it easy on them in the mean time. Throwing a few bumps into the road will help reduce the total number of botters.

[Nummy]

The java run time environment has a hard time detecting such input due to the fact that the input runs through he same event checking system.

i have seen the image recognition used before in other games/ it works well but is annoying.

Not really. Events fired from real input devices fire their own event. Mouse fires MouseEvent so you can distinguish if action was fired programmatically or from real device. It's harder to detect if it was fired from java.awt.Robot object as it emulates clicks. But as I wrote to make that work you would need some good image recognition and there can be simple methods to make it pain in the ass to make it work: time to time after doing one stuff for more than 30 minutes or if it detects input was not fired from real input device, you get a dialog with 3 or more buttons with numbers. Texts says press that and that button to continue playing or server ignores your actions completely.

[Potjeh]

Do we really want captchas in the game? Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.

[sabinati]

But they're not making it based on things people have said besides JLo. It's based on the fact that there have been minimal updates in the last year or so; very likely significantly longer.

That said I don't count the came as defunct but many people do and will continue to consider it as dying until constant updating picks up again.

sabinati said the post was his basis for his argument.

according to the developers they will speed back up after a while.

it's not CURRENTLY in development. there has been no visible development other than some minor bug fixes. jorb and loftar have also stated that there would not be any significant development until salem is done, at which point many systems in haven will be overhauled. further reading here viewtopic.php?f=5&t=24229&start=10#p299312

[Jackard]

Do we really want captchas in the game? Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.

Why not? They are in shitty Korean MMOs, look how great it has worked out for them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCzv1iOkd1c

[sabinati]

Report it to who? Once something is reported, then what?

not to a person just a temp banning macro.

or a perma banning macro if your cruel.

you could even do the scan during the daily server check.

so, have a bot that polices for bots?

[Potjeh]

But who will bot the botmen?