EVE General Discussion

An option to flag them as reported and then mapping them could provide all the targeting info needed. False reporting could be problem and increase CCP workload. maybe three flags. suspected bot, reported bot and verified bot, visible on map

CCP has just made it very clear that the issue of banning and such "disciplining" of accounts is supposed to be private and not discussed with the gaming community as a whole. The exception has been this Mittani business.

CCP's words: CCP's banning of the Mittani

So if CCP wants to follow their own EULA, then by putting a "scarlet letter" on people would be a fairly automatic tag saying "look at some point this guy was banned for botting." Not a good idea CCP. What's next a scarlet letter for suicide gankers? A scarlet letter on the Mittani? I mean, where does it stop. So CCP wants to grief players now also?

You all already have a system to id and ban bots with 3 strikes and your out. Good to go.

Now get to fixing my drone boats!

+1 10characters

Bots in other games are much technologically easier to detect. Evidence is evidence.
Depending on game, the bots must use one or more of: certain APIs, the game is much more dynamic so OCR reading is almost impossible, must use DLL injection, many players are constantly around (no secluded 0.0 pockets), the "NAPS" don't exist beyond maybe guild level, the "style" of hotkeys usage may be profiled much easier, some games implement Punkbuster or house made similar software.
Last but not least, the other games usually come with heavily customizable UI, it's incredibly difficult to make a bot adapting to that variety. Only professional RMTers will accept to keep the bland default UI, this helps weeding out the "casuals" (the kind CCP would want to "rescue") from the professionals.

EvE is extremely vulnerable as it's the opposite of many factors above, CCP have to resort using heuristics and manual investigation in less than super blatant cases. This makes the process less reliable, expecially detecting who is the university student botting for his PLEX vs the RMT lords.

Therefore CCP - who want to deal in a fair way - takes the prudent path.
In a costs - benefits analysis, it's smarter to leave a couple bots uncatched or mildly banning some innocents vs immediate and direct public execution on a stake of whoever triggers a suspicious behavior.

Just look at the last days threads. They are hysteria and vengeance and hate induced, when all what was needed were calls for EULA enforcing / bringing up a case.

I can't say it better than this fine gentleman here, so I'm gonna quote him.

Do it CCP.

While some of the ideas put forward are really good you have to keep in mind the botting scene and how it works.

These Scarlet letters will only force them to create bots that are much harder to detect which will turn this into a arms race, see Vxers VS the anti virus industry. As long as people do RMT there will be a incentive for these guys to continue and since it involves real mony you can bet your ass they will respond by evolving their tactics to counter what CCP is doing and these guys are /VERY/ creative coders.

I would like to add my approval to naming and shaming botters.

RMT, as we are seeing from what is happening with PL today, is a curse on this game and botting is one of the major ways this is implemented.

So name them, shame them and let us gank them! :)

PAN

EDIT: It would be great if we could tie in the named and shamed botters to Hulkageddon by prioritising macro miners for ganking.

Flag them, and give the sandbox capabilities of healing itself like an organic entity.

1st strike- Botter get flagged and Concord puts bounty (isk AND LPs) on toon, relaying intel of its whereabouts. Players hunt botter, receive ISK and LPs. Botter gets its Skills reset to the same level of a new playes, account Assets are taken by Concord, toon remains flagged for 6 months and part of a "Concord Penal Recovery Services" NPC for the same period. If during that time nothing happens, toon is released to become a normal player.

2nd strike- Same as first with escalation to direct associates (toons that received isk/asset transfer, including via bounties placed by botting toon and direct associate), group SP reset, 1 year in "Concord Penal Recovery Services".

3rd strike- Biomass

True but it would also be great fun for those of us that want to to be able to make the life of botters - be they macro miners, ratters or other botters - non-viable because they would be ganked every time they undocked.

PAN